Trillium Grant supports youth homelessness initiative
Photo provided by MPP David Piccini
By: Cecilia Nasmith, Northumberland 89.7 FM News
23-04-2025 2:20 p.m.
Cobourg
A Trillium Grant will enable Rebound Child and Youth Services Northumberland offer a homelessness initiative only available in two other Canadian communities
(They sent us shots, below)
The highlight of Tuesday's Nightstop Information Night hosted by Rebound Child and Youth Services Northumberland was MPP David Piccini's announcement of a $100,000 Ontario Trillium Foundation seed grant for this program to support youth at risk of homelessness.
“We will never tackle our community's challenges leaving community members on the sideline,” Piccini said.
“We need to always ensure that children and youth in our community are given all the support they need when they are in vulnerable situations.”
The grant enables Rebound to pilot Nightstop, an innovative youth homelessness prevention program that enlists community members to volunteer their spare bedrooms as temporary places to rest one's head, with funding to help with staffing and program administration costs, the purchase of two laptops, and training and education materials.
Rebound thus becomes Canada's third community to offer Nightstop, joining 360 Kids in York Region and Durham Youth Services, building on the success of more than 30 years of Nightstop in the United Kingdom.
Rebound Executive Director Sam Rockbrune noted that, in 2024, Rebound supported eight unsheltered youth under the age of 18, with seven more so far in 2025.
“With the launch of Nightstop, we are now able to provide a vital resource for addressing the critical gap for youth in our community,” Rockbrune said in the announcement.
“By offering a community-based safe space for young people in crisis, Nightstop not only helps address immediate housing needs, but creates a sense of community support. It provides young people with a welcoming and nurturing environment where they can feel safe.”
For more information on Rebound, visit www.rcys.ca
