One of 15,000 SAJE toolkits that MCFD says are being distributed to Youth.

Image Credit: Ministry of Children and Family Development

A provincial program meant to provide income, housing and health support to youth aging out of government “care” spent nearly $300,000 on promotional merchandise — meanwhile, many young people are being rejected from its services.

The Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) ordered 15,000 “toolkits” as part of their 2022/2023 budget — including tote bags, socks, toques, lip-balm and information pamphlets. These packages are meant to raise awareness about its Strengthening Abilities and Journeys of Empowerment (SAJE) program.

According to the MCFD, the purchase was a response to feedback from a series of engagements carried out in 2022. An emailed statement from MCFD said the materials would be distributed to ministry offices and community organizations, including Covenant House, to be shared with about 10,000 Youth across the province who are eligible for SAJE.

“It wouldn’t be what I would spend money on,” said Jennifer Charlesworth, B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth (RCY), “but the most important thing is that young people know about it, and they’re able to access the program.” 

IndigiNews has learned that a pile of boxes filled with merchandise has been sitting at the MCFD offices in “Victoria” since March. An MCFD spokesperson confirmed this week that 16 boxes being stored at the offices are “being moved to some space that we have available” but did not say when or elaborate on the plan for their distribution.

As of this month, 6,540 of the 15,000 toolkits have been distributed, according to the ministry.

Program rebranded after being criticized

The MCFD program for Youth aging out of “care” was rebranded and launched under SAJE in April 2024. It was previously called Agreements with Youth Adults (AYA), a program which came under fire in 2020 for having multiple problems and barriers.

“B.C. is often held up as a leader in Canada for its progressive approach to post-majority supports,” said the RCY in a report released three and a half years ago.

“However, upon closer investigation, this network of services and supports is mired by complicated and restrictive eligibility criteria, inequitable access across the province, disproportionately negative outcomes for Indigenous peoples and insufficient resources to support the young people in most need.”

The RCY report highlighted that uptake in AYA was poor between 2012 to 2020, particularly amongst Indigenous Youth (First Nations being the least likely to access support). On average, 16 per cent of eligible First Nations Youth accessed support through AYA. It’s just under 20 per cent for Métis Youth. 

The SAJE program is more comprehensive than AYA. For example, access to cultural support, mental health support and vision benefits are all brand new to the program. 

Additionally, Youth no longer need to be in employment or at school to qualify for support. And unlike AYA, access to SAJE for Youth between 19 to 27 is written into provincial legislation.

However, the new program still has problems for the 10,000 eligible young people, and there are concerns that bureaucratic red tape and a history of trauma will prevent them from accessing support.

Stringent eligibility requirements and a severe limitation on monthly rent supplements make SAJE services — for many — practically impossible to access, something MCFD chalks up to limited resources. 

The MCFD confirmed that as part of its 2022/2023 budget of $1.7 billion, it spent nearly $300,000 on SAJE toolkits branded with the program’s logo.

The $300,000 is part of a chunk of $35 million, to be spent over three years, that was put aside for programs and services to support young adults from government “care” as they transition to adulthood. 

The purchase included 15,000 of these toolkits as well as 198,000 information cards, 15,000 one-pagers and 2,500 posters. 

“I don’t know that most young people would make the decision to access the program or not access the program based on merchandise,” said Charlesworth, who questioned whether the merchandise was produced as a result of market research and in consultation with young people.

The SAJE program consults with a Youth Advisory Council — a group of young people with lived-experience of government “care” that MCFD consults with. 

A member of the Youth council, Sebastian, said MCFD told them about the toolkits, and asked their input on what should be included, “like hats, pens, perhaps candy,” he said. He added he hasn’t actually seen the tote bag or its contents.

Youth ‘do like the socks,’ says Covenant House

MCFD said there are about 2,300 Youth across “B.C.” being supported by SAJE, such as Sebastian, whose last name isn’t being shared for privacy reasons. He said the program gives him “room to breathe.”

“I don’t know about others,” he said, “but for me, it gives me peace of mind. I’m now able to cope with my life.”

Sebastian is an Indigenous 24-year-old with lived experience of government “care” and is one of the council’s 16 members. Alana Reeve, an MCFD staff person whose job is to support the YAC members, was present during an interview between Sebastian and IndigiNews.

“When I found out about the Youth Advisory Council, I actually was in a very difficult part in my life at the time, and the council just gave me a purpose,” he said.

Sebastian wants to become a biomedical engineer PhD, a career that takes at least nine years of school.  

He says he’s grateful for the loosening of the tuition waiver program, which allows him “a second chance to still become a doctor.”

Previously, young people had to finish school before they turned 25. “I was expected to be okay at all times, even during the pandemic,” said Sebastian. “There was no room for error.” 

Chelsea Minhas, chief program officer at Covenant House in “Vancouver,” said both stigma and trauma can make it challenging for young people to connect with MCFD. “And I wouldn’t want that to be a barrier to these young people accessing the support they’re entitled to.”

Minhas says that when Covenant House — which provides housing and services for Youth experiencing homelessness — consulted with MCFD prior to the program’s launch, the organization suggested it might be better if those supports were embedded within community organizations that have a less rocky relationship with young people. 

The RCY made the same recommendation in their 2020 report.

Covenant House has been named a distribution partner for the branded toolkits. Minhas said they currently have about 1,000, which they’re offering to anyone passing through their drop-in centre. She said the young people “do like the socks” offered as part of the kits.

But when IndigiNews spoke to another non-profit that houses homeless and at-risk Youth, many of whom have been in government “care,” the social worker in charge hadn’t heard of SAJE. 

Concerns about high caseloads, staff retention

Minhas is also concerned that there won’t be enough staff to provide the support and guidance young people are looking for. The ministry has hired new positions — called “navigators” and “guides” — to work with teens and young adults in and from “care” to help them plan for, and navigate their transition to adulthood, says the ministry. 

But in February, the B.C. Coalition to End Youth Homelessness reported that some navigators appear to have such high caseloads they can’t provide the one-on-one attention that Youth need. 

According to the report, one Youth who requested a navigator for SAJE support, was told there would be no navigator available to help her.

“They’re not even up and running everywhere, so it’s too soon to say if [navigators and guides] will help increase the uptake and participation in these programs,” said Minhas. 

Recruitment and retention of staff has been an issue for the MCFD for years. In 2015, a report by Charlesworth’s team found that staffing problems were so severe, social workers had no time to engage with families, provide updates, or explain decisions made to a family’s file. 

An MCFD spokesperson said that recruitment and retention is “a continuous priority for the ministry.”

“Between September 2022 and December 2023, there has been an 11.5 per cent increase in frontline staffing levels. This is the result of a comprehensive approach to onboarding, training, retention and attention to mental wellbeing that is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of children, youth and families,” said the ministry in an emailed statement. 

Despite expanding eligibility, there are still rules in place that limit the number of Youth in and from “care” that can access SAJE. For example, Youth must have been in government “care” for a minimum of 24 months, between the ages of 12 to 19.

Children that were in government “care” between 0 to 11, for any amount of time, are not eligible for SAJE.

According to the Vancouver Sun, Minister for Children and Families Grace Lore said the 24-month requirement was based on “priorities identified by youth.”

In an email to IndigiNews, Sebastian said he remembers the majority of YAC members were against the 24-month requirement. “This was an emotional conversation to have with MCFD,” he said. 

For those that can, and do access SAJE services, a rent supplement of $600 per month is available for up to two years for anyone renting in the private market — but MCFD hasn’t provided enough for every young person. 

To manage the supply, the program limits its opening for applications to a two week intake period twice per year. If a young person misses the opening (typically in February and September), they’ll need to wait for the next opening in half a year’s time. And even if they make the opening, it’s not guaranteed they’ll receive a supplement. 

The branded merchandise purchase is equivalent to 500 months — nearly 42 years — of rent supplements.

Minhas worries that this makes most other programs under SAJE unobtainable. Without a home, she said, it’s hard for a young person to access other available support, like funding for education, mental health, or cultural support. “They’re just trying to survive,” she said.

According to the MCFD, 50 per cent of former Youth in “care” experience homelessness at some point in their lives. 

“We also have a very different situation with the cost of living in Vancouver, exacerbating the problem, but this is an issue everywhere.” 

The $600 covers less than one third of the average cost of a one bedroom apartment in “B.C.,” which in May 2024, was $2,250.

Meanwhile, according to a SAJE poster on AgedOut — support is available for Youth “regardless of their legal care status,” and should include “comparable agreements under Indigenous law.” 

This may be true for children under agreements from a delegated agency, such as an Indigenous Child and Family Services (ICFSA). But for children — of which there are thousands — raised under informal agreements either voluntarily or by order of the court, and whose caregivers have achieved legal guardianship, none are eligible for MCFD programs or benefits, including SAJE.

“I’m hopeful that enough young people will access [SAJE] so that the government can see the value in it and continue to expand support to more young people,” said Minhas. 

But if young people don’t access SAJE — because of ineligibility, a lack of awareness, or an unwillingness to continue a life under “care” of the ministry — it’s not clear how the MCFD will measure the success of the program. 

The MCFD said in a statement that “moving forward, the ministry is continuing to work directly with Youth and young adults in and from care to gather feedback and better understand how the supports are helping them and ways we can continue to improve.”

— This story was originally published by IndigiNews.

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