Youth Empowerment & Support Services

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Youth Empowerment & Support Services
FormationNon-profit: 1978
Building opening: 1982
TypeNot-for-profit
Location
Region served
Edmonton metropolitan region
President
Margo Long
Websitehttps://yess.org/

Youth Empowerment & Support Services, commonly referred to as YESS, is a youth empowerment and housing organization in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.[1][2][3]

History[edit]

YESS first registered as a not-for-profit in 1978, although its youth shelter at 9310 82 Avenue in Edmonton did not open until 1982.[4][5]

Services[edit]

An employee of Rainbow Metal Products works at YESS in 1986

In 2016, YESS introduced the tagline "YESS is more than a shelter." Although YESS provides housing for at-risk youth in the Edmonton Capital Region, the organization is also dedicated to providing individualized support that addresses both diversion out of homelessness and general prevention of homelessness.[6][7]

Buildings[edit]

The YESS buildings are located at 9310 82 Avenue in Edmonton, including the main shelter, a gazebo, and several storage buildings.[8] The main building was built in 1905 as Edmonton Fire Hall No. 10 for the communities surrounding Mill Creek Ravine.[8] In 1926, the Salvation Army converted the fire hall into a shelter named Bonnie Doon Eventide Home, and in 1949, the main building became a single men's shelter.[8][9] Although Ken Lenz has stated that "the building was vacant for almost a decade beginning in the early 1970s," the Salvation Army did not actually sell the building until 1979, with YESS taking over the building in early 1980s.[10][11][12] In 1986, Edmonton company Rainbow Metal Products built eves, gutters, soffit, and fascia for YESS, whose buildings are now recognized for their Late Art Deco architectural style.[13]

Region served[edit]

YESS is located in Edmonton's French Quarter, also known as Bonnie Doon.[14][a] The neighborhood is home to Edmonton's Franco-Albertan community and contains the only francophone university and the only Francophone high school west of Manitoba, namely the University of Alberta's Campus Saint-Jean and École Maurice-Lavallée.[16] Although YESS is a community organization located within a recognized ethnic enclave in Edmonton, it serves youth from throughout the Edmonton metropolitan region.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ YESS is located in the western part of Bonnie Doon, which was originally part of the City of Strathcona dating back to 1907 and became a part of Edmonton when Strathcona and Edmonton merged in 1912. The remaining land in the neighbourhood was annexed by the city of Edmonton in 1908.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Forbes, Rayanne (July 3, 2013). "Heart of the City: YESS taking the NEXUS step". Edmonton Examiner. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  2. ^ "Discovering one of Edmonton's hidden gems: YESS". edmontonjournal.com. September 13, 2012. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  3. ^ "Transgender Edmonton teen calls on all shelters to adopt LGBTQ guidelines". Global News. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  4. ^ "Our History – YESS". Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  5. ^ Truscott, Dave (October 4, 1992). "YES Set To Build". The Edmonton Journal. p. 14.
  6. ^ Rosove, Jay (2020-03-31). "Support services group finding new ways to help at-risk youth through COVID-19 crisis". Edmonton. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  7. ^ "Youth emergency shelter has a Christmas wish list". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  8. ^ a b c Lenz, Ken (December 7, 1983). "Shelter Provides Alternative to Street-Life". The Gateway.
  9. ^ "Bonnie Doon Eventide Home Opened Today". The Edmonton Journal. Vol. 23, no. 35. August 28, 1926. p. 17.
  10. ^ Lenz, Ken (December 7, 1983). "Shelter Provides Alternative to Street-Life". The Gateway.
  11. ^ McCreedy, Jim (April 27, 1979). "Eventide Home to Close June 1". The Edmonton Journal. p. H11.
  12. ^ Truscott, Dave (October 4, 1992). "YES Set To Build". The Edmonton Journal. p. 14.
  13. ^ Tingley, Ken (2012). Building a Legacy: Edmonton's Architectural History. Coteau Books. p. 202. ISBN 9781550505450.
  14. ^ "Inspired by nativity story, Edmonton churches raise $1 million to alleviate homelessness". Grandin Media. 2019-06-10. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  15. ^ Neighbourhood description in the map utility on the City of Edmonton web site.
  16. ^ Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada, Profil de la communauté francophone de l'Alberta, Géographie, p. 1 : « Dans la ville d'Edmonton elle-même, le secteur de Bonnie Doon, site de nombreuses institutions francophones, revendique le titre de quartier français. »

External links[edit]

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