'There is epidemic here'; Over $20k raised for homeless youth programs in St. Thomas, Ont.

With a drive down Talbot St. in St. Thomas, Ont., it is easy to see adults who are experiencing homelessness. However with those between the ages of 16-24, homelessness often goes unseen.

"I didn't know that St. Thomas had this kind of dark underbelly," says Lisa Yates, whose grandson is homeless.

"In dealing with him I’ve met are a lot of people who just have nobody. They don't have parents, grandparents and they have nobody looking out for them."

Yates and her husband Ken Beadle were among the dozens of people walking in the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser at Youth for Christ (YFC) in St. Thomas.

They brought in more than $3,000 of the $23,000 raised for the YFC Upper Room emergency Shelter.

"I just feel like if I just could help somebody, even if my grandson doesn't want it right now, this money will help someone get to where they need to be," says Yates.

Ken Beadle (L) and Lisa Yates walk in the Coldest Night of the Year event to raise funds for homeless youth in St. Thomas, Ont. (Brent Lale / CTV News)With St. Thomas offering the most services in Elgin County, they home to the most homeless youth in the county. The YWCA says they are drawing young people from rural areas like West Elgin and Aylmer.

"In 2021 we have seen 55 youth that were at risk of homelessness or experiencing homelessness in St. Thomas Elgin," says Valerie Beneteau, housing and homeless system coordinator at YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin.

"We were very fortunate to help with 40 individuals to secure housing."

Beneteau says those not seeking services are 'invisible' because they tend not to live on the streets.

"They know that the streets are unsafe and can be unsafe," says Beneteau

"They crash with friends or family or they seek other means to meet their needs for the night."

Yates says that’s exactly what her grandson has been doing for the past couple of years.

"They find places to stay, whether it's a bed or couch," says Yates.

"Sometimes they stay with people that aren't the best influence on them, and then they get taken into another whole area of sex trafficking. I think that a lot of people have the stigma that if you're homeless, you've got an addiction problem or you've got a mental illness. Sometimes it's just you just don't have the money for a place to stay."

With a late push Saturday, YFC was able to surpass its goal of $23,000 which will help those experiencing hurt, hunger and homelessness. Those funds will be crucial over the next couple of months.

"Historically in January and February we don't really have a whole bunch of people making use of the shelter," says Kyle Rolph, who runs the Upper Room shelter at YFC.

The Upper Room shelter is located at Youth For Christ Elgin County on Edward St. in St. Thomas, Ont. (Brent Lale / CTV News)"It seems kind of backwards because they're the coldest months of the year. But every March, April, May, we the kids tend to come out of the woodwork that needs support. The funds we raise from an event like this go to help out with that for sure."

With the money raised from the 2021 event, new programs were created at YFC/Youth Unlimited.

"We were able to bring on a couple of new staff," says Rolph.

"We now have a junk journaling, which is a combination between scrapbooking and art therapy and mentoring. We have a guy's nights that we've started up where we have an after school drop in and the kids are able to come after school, hang out, have supper and then take part in our Tuesday night youth group. It’s just creating a safe space for kids to come and hang out."

Beneteau is currently projecting the YWCA will service around the same number of youth as 2021.

"This may increase over time as we know things are getting more expensive groceries and gas and things like that," says Beneteau.

"As well as family breakdown or mental health needs, we look at any individual that are experiencing the possibly having an eviction come through as we know rental prices are extremely high in our community. The financial goals are getting tighter for individuals who are trying to live on their own."