Home Depot Canada combating youth homelessness

The Home Depot Canada Foundation has launched TradeWorx, a new investment aimed at combating youth homelessness by creating opportunities for career education and skilled trades training.

Through an initial $1 million Canadian dollars (US$791 million) investment, 100 Canadian youth who have experienced homelessness or barriers to employment will receive the training and social support necessary to work in the skilled trades. 

"TradeWorx builds upon our work with community partners that provide emergency housing and social supports for youth, by connecting them with the training needed to establish lasting careers and acquire stable housing," said Pamela O'Rourke, board chair, The Home Depot Canada Foundation, and vice president of merchandising, The Home Depot Canada. "We've invested heavily in research and housing initiatives over the last eight years and we know helping to break the cycle of youth homelessness requires an integrated approach, which we're proud to start building with leading partners in this sector."

Youth make up approximately 20% of the homeless population in Canada, and the numbers have only grown during the pandemic, The Home Depot Foundation said.

Additionally, Buildforce Canada forecasts that the industry will need to recruit more than 307,000 workers over the decade to keep pace with demand. 

By combining a trade training program that offers critical social supports with increased demand for skilled labor in the trades, TradeWorx said that it looks to ensure that youth seeking employment have all they need to thrive in their chosen trade.

The employment social enterprise model will include initial partnerships with ten community organizations across Canada: Blue Door (Construct) (Ontario), Quint (Build Up Saskatoon) (Saskatchewan), Building Up (Ontario), Choices for Youth (Impact Constructions) (Newfoundland), Community Builders (Ontario), Durham Youth Services (Construct) (Ontario), Labour Education Centre (Ontario), Newo Global Energy (Alberta), Purpose Constructiom (Manitoba), The RAFT (Fresh Paint) (Ontario).

Several of the regional TradeWorx initiatives have been assisted with funding from Blue Door. 

To date, The Home Depot Canada Foundation has invested more than C$42 million (US$33 million) in support of preventing and ending youth homelessness in Canada, including investing in research, housing, and life skills development programs.