Annual Report 2010 - Resource Assistance for Youth

Street Outreach
During the past year, the Outreach team encountered 1,786 people on the streets of Winnipeg. We helped these
individuals get connected to EIA, referred them to shelters, food banks, detox and residential treatment centres, as
well as connected people with mental health resources and supports. We have built many relationships with our
clients and have been able to direct them to RaY to continue to help them with the issues they are facing.
Last year, Outreach took on another role as a moving company. We noticed a need for this service as many of the
times when participants were trying to move from unsafe housing, they had no way of moving their belongings due
to the lack of financial support. Outreach began offering the use of the RaY van and has since moved many people.
Also, with the newly established free store which runs out of the old RaY site, many clients have been able to
access free home furnishings such as beds, televisions, tables, and sofas thanks to generous private donations and
especially King’s Transfer. While RaY understands that this is an important service to offer, we would be able to do
so much more with a truck. We hope to acquire a moving vehicle in the coming year and are open to suggestions.
Larysa Jorgenson
Street Outreach Coordinator
Mental Health & Addiction
I was hired on as the Mental Health Outreach Worker for RaY almost a year ago. It is a challenging position as it is
difficult to engage the youth in talking about issues related to their mental health. The stigma related to mental illness
and the lack of resources for individuals looking for help are definitely a challenge that need to be overcome in
today’s society. Building rapport and relationships with the youth is the best part of this job, and it is when the youth
start to trust the staff that I think RaY can help them find the resources they need in an effective way. I am currently
working closely with Samara Prystenski, RaY’s Addiction Support Worker, to build an effective intervention strategy
to inform our youth about mental health and addiction, how these issues are related, and how to best support them
with what they need to know and how to access the services that are available to them.
Tim Laughlin
Mental Health Outreach Worker