A partnership between 360ºkids and Health for All is providing unhoused teens with essential medical care and the skills needed for a more secure future.
Living throughout York Region, on friends’ couches and in cars, in church basements and in the abandoned house down the street, are teenagers with no place to call home. We don’t see them because they look like any other young person, but they’re unhoused all the same.
360ºkids works to surround these young people with care, giving them the opportunity to feel nurtured and loved. For those facing an immediate housing crisis, the organization
offers transitional and longer-term housing, along with medical care through the Health for All Family Health Team, an academic teaching unit in Markham.
“Many of the young people come to us with significant histories of trauma and a complete lack of trust in systems that have let them down over and over again,” says Jessica Ward, senior manager of housing programs at 360ºkids. “We have a lot of youth who have been neglected or abused, so getting them medical care is critical, but can also be extremely triggering.”
The SHINE program (Supportive Housing for Independence through Nurture and Empowerment) operates two youth homes where individuals aged 14 to 19 who have experienced, or are at risk of, homelessness can spend up to a year learning life skills for independent living and working through the issues contributing to their homelessness.
“For youth that stay with us, the SHINE program is all about empowering them to stand on their own two feet, make decisions soundly and seek out help and support whenever they need it,” says Jacqueline Esdale, SHINE program manager.
“Building trusting relationships takes a lot, so for them to have the opportunity to build a trusting relationship with a doctor is huge.”
Many SHINE residents arrive with overlapping crises and without a go-to support person. Every teen must see a health professional within three days of arriving in temporary
housing. Dr. Jessica Wong, a family doctor at Health for All and lecturer in the University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine, oversees the program.
“Many of these youth are uncomfortable when they first come in. We try and change that,” says Wong.
“It’s not only about addressing immediate health needs like mental health support, gender-affirming care or help managing other issues, but beginning to build a healthy relationship with family medicine and the health system as a whole.”
Since its inception in early 2024, the partnership has made a dramatic impact. Many of the youth at SHINE have built trusting relationships with their family doctors.
“Some of my 360ºkids patients will just come in once or twice, but others come back quite regularly as they get more and more comfortable,” says Dr. Simon Hendy, who
recently completed his family medicine residency training at Health for All.
“As residents we are not only practising family medicine, but actively expanding our knowledge in areas like mental health and addictions. We bring the latest knowledge from our off-service rotations into our daily practice, which can be hugely helpful.”
While SHINE housing is time-limited, the program equips youth with vital skills and confidence for the road ahead. For those who stay in the Markham area, the patient-doctor relationship can continue.
Together, the partnership offers much more than a temporary solution — it provides a foundation and empowers young people to navigate the world beyond the care system.
Number of DFCM faculty at Markham Stouffville Hospital - Oak Valley: 93
