Why Not Youth Centres
368 Colborne St. East N3S 3N3 Brantford, ON, Canada

What a haul! The past week or so, our friends at Oakhill Marketplace have been collecting for our centre. Check out this pile! Our sincere thanks to the patrons who contributed... so many toiletries and new/like-new garments and even some food! Thanks for being amazing!!

"Did you see what's back here, Sue?" I poked my head out the back door and sighed. My first response- my human response - was to bemoan the mess. More work in a day that was already more than full of its share of tough stuff. My second response (the one I wish was the first one) was to grieve. What do you see when you look this "shelter"? Less than a day to construct, with obvious plans to return, someone called this area out back of Why Not "home", for a short period of ...time. It isn't the first time and it won't be the last, that we find evidence that someone spent the night out back. Of course it breaks our hearts. The weather has been bitter the last 24 hours. Was there space in the shelters last night? Maybe. I don't really know what problems led to our back yard being this person's best option for the January night. I do know that homelessness is complicated. It is dehumanizing and that there isn't a one-size fits all solution. And the youth who pointed out the shelter to me? He is actively fighting homelessness, in fact he has been homeless for the past two years. He just hasn't been on the streets, yet. It's our goal that he will NEVER be. At Why Not, our role in the fight against homelessness is prevention. We work, we fight, we love, we persevere because we think everyone should have a chance. No one should look at someone taking shelter on the streets in a Canadian winter and worry if that will be them in a year or two. On a related note, the Coldest Night of the Year is one of the ways we join the fight across Canada to solve the problem of homelessness. Find out more about how you can join us in this fight. Join the walk or sponsor a walker today. https://cnoy.org/location/brantford

FAQ #1: Are we still walking for the Coldest Night of the Year? Answer: YES... but it's a little different.

We need our youth and they need us. It's a beautiful, symbiotic thing.

Another goal accomplished!! Okay, its a small and pretty silly one compared to the big stuff we often deal with, but we hit 2021 likes today!! Well before our goal of the new year!! We are pretty thrilled to see our community growing! If you are new to the Why Not community, a big WELCOME to you!! We look forward to your partnership in changing the trajectory of our at-risk youth community!!

Remember Mike? (If not,click the link below to read the full story) Here is his brother Bryan celebrating receiving his Canadian citizenship certificate at last!! It took longer than we hoped but with the help of MPP Phil McColeman's office and plenty of perseverance, we can finally celebrate!! One more brother remains. His situation is considerably more complicated but we are working hard and will not give up because we believe that these young men have the right to ...a bright future without barriers. Today, help us say, "YES!!!!" along with Bryan. Congratulations on your citizenship!! https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158543715568887&id=86356908886&sfnsn=mo

Nate’s Story: There’s no progress without mistakes (One Year Clean) A year ago, Nate realized that if he continued on the self-destructive path he was on, he would not live to see his 18th birthday. Today at Why Not, we celebrate that Nate has been clean for one year from Xanax, and that he is taking steps to improve his mental health and to learn to extend and seek forgiveness. This is his story. A year ago, before everything happened, I was in a hole. I was losing my ...Continue reading

New tree!!! Yay!!!

We are really fond of our Christmas tree.... Haha... but actually, we do need one... and some decorations. Our tree has seen its last year! PM us if your old tree can see some new life at our center!