Youth Empowerment & Support Services

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

Youth Empowerment & Support Services
YESS headquarters at 9310 82 Avenue
Formation1978 (1978)
TypeNot-for-profit
Location
Region served
Edmonton metropolitan region
President
Margo Long
Websitehttps://yess.org/

History

YESS first registered as a not-for-profit in 1978, although its youth shelter at 9310 82 Avenue in Edmonton did not open until 1981.[4][5]

Services
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

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 a fire hall for the communities surrounding Mill Creek Ravine.[8] In 1949, the main building became a men's shelter. YESS moved into the building in the early 1980s.[8] 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.[9]

Region served

YESS is located in Edmonton's French Quarter, also known as Bonnie Doon.[10][lower-alpha 1] 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.[12] Although YESS is a community organization located within a recognized ethnic enclave in Edmonton, it serves youth from throughout the Edmonton metropolitan region.

Notes
  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.[11]

References
  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. Lenz, Ken (December 7, 1983). "Shelter Provides Alternative to Street-Life". The Gateway.
  9. Tingley, Ken (2012). Building a Legacy: Edmonton's Architectural History. Coteau Books. p. 202.
  10. "Inspired by nativity story, Edmonton churches raise $1 million to alleviate homelessness". Grandin Media. 2019-06-10. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  11. Neighbourhood description in the map utility on the City of Edmonton web site.
  12. 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. »
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