Youth Initiatives Funding (Family Services)

The Department of Family Services is now accepting proposals for community-based initiatives that are focused on creating safe, youth transitional housing and overnight shelters or youth programming within Nunavut. Initiatives may begin in the 2024-25 fiscal year, starting any time after April 1, 2024.

Program Objectives 

The purpose of the Youth Initiatives Funding supports community-based initiatives and agencies that are focused on creating safe, youth transitional housing and overnight shelters. Funding may be used to staff existing centers for overnight support to youth and/or support the operation and maintenance costs of these centers to provide crisis shelter service to youth in need. Projects should reflect:

Community-based, non-profit organizations and municipal corporations may apply for Youth Initiatives Funding to deliver initiatives that reflect:

•  Inuusivut: (well-being and self-reliance )by responding to the needs of young Nunavummiut for safe housing and increasing support for community-based healing programs by working to increase emergency shelters.
• Pivaallirutivut:(developing infrastructure that supports a positive future for our people and communities) by providing funding to communities to support safe spaces for youth.

Eligible Applicants 

Eligible applicants include community non-profit organizations, and municipal corporations that direct current efforts to provide ongoing services for youth in need of crisis shelter or develop new initiatives to target the specific housing needs of youth times of crisis.

Eligible Projects 

Eligible projects could include, but are not limited to:

1. Strengthening community capacity by providing overall support to vulnerable youth by funding an overnight youth crisis shelter in each of Nunavut’s regions.
2. Creating low barrier and safe overnight spaces for youth who are in crisis;
3. Increasing the capacity of communities to support their youth /vulnerable community members;
4. Strengthening the overall response to support Nunavummiut in their healing and wellness, through the services and supports offered at the shelters (i.e., assessment, facilitating referral and advocacy services; healing and counselling; etc.); and
5. Reducing the burden on existing social systems and supports, such as Family Services, Mental Health, and Justice, by providing tools and facilitating referral and advocacy services and reducing client involvement/impact in the criminal justice system, health system, etc.
6. The funding to hire overnight youth outreach and youth support workers.

Please refer to the Youth Initiatives Funding Guidelines for further direction in completing this application form .

Applicants must provide proof of their current standing with Nunavut Legal Registries, if applicable. 

Please call or email to ensure the application has been received.

Email: CPVACYI@gov.nu.ca  or call 867-975-5399