Every young person who comes through SideBySide’s doors is carrying something heavy. A lost home. A broken placement. A future that suddenly looks uncertain. Our entire model exists because we believe that no child or youth should carry that weight alone, and that the right home, at the right moment, can change the direction of a life.
That belief is why we’re so glad to share this news: SideBySide has partnered with DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society to launch Safe Harbour: Homes with Heart, with Hope, a new transitional housing program for youth and young mothers in Surrey.
A Home First, Then Everything Else
Safe Harbour was built for young people aged 16 to 30 who are fleeing violence, aging out of foster care, or facing housing instability they never should have had to navigate on their own. Three homes make up the program: two for youth, one for young mothers and their children. Priority goes to Indigenous, Black, racialized, newcomer, and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, the very communities who are too often left to face housing instability with the fewest resources behind them.
But a roof alone was never the goal. Residents also get connected to case management, mental health care, education and employment support, and the kind of day-to-day life skills and community that make independence possible rather than overwhelming. It’s the same philosophy that has shaped our Village for decades: housing and healing have to happen together.
Two Organizations, One Belief
Sheena Ram, our Executive Village Director, explained why this partnership made sense from the start:
“Our work is rooted in something very simple, yet profoundly important: ensuring that vulnerable young people have a safe place to call home and a genuine opportunity to move forward in their lives. Behind every door we open is a young person carrying more than most of us can imagine.”
DIVERSEcity brought decades of experience in settlement, mental health, and community-based services. SideBySide brought decades of experience caring for children and youth who’ve been let down by the systems meant to protect them. Neither organization could build something like Safe Harbour alone, but together, the fit was obvious.
DIVERSEcity’s CEO, Neelam Sahota, described what made the partnership feel different from a typical funding arrangement:
“What stood out to us immediately is that this was never just a transaction. You took the time to build something real. You came to our community campus. You broke bread with us. You listened, you learned, you asked questions. You forged relationships.”
Chimdi’s Story
Numbers and program details only tell part of it. Chimdi, 17, moved into one of the Safe Harbour homes a few months ago, after a stretch of not knowing where he’d sleep each night.
“Being supported by DIVERSEcity’s Safe Harbour program is more than just housing,” he said. “It’s a community of people who believe in me and my aspirations. They listened keenly to my plans for the future and they took me seriously. I’ve been treated with dignity and respect.”
That belief is already paying off. Chimdi was recently accepted into a university in New York, where he plans to study astrophysics, with his sights set on becoming an astronaut.
“For other youth in a similar position,” he added, “I just want to be an example of the kind of impact this program can have. I want to show what is possible.”
Lenya Wilks, DIVERSEcity’s Director of Community Inclusion, Health & Equity, sees stories like Chimdi’s as the whole point: “Together, we are building more than housing. We are creating a safe harbour where young people can heal, belong and build hopeful futures.”
Made Possible by a Wider Circle
Safe Harbour exists because a circle of partners chose to invest in it. Funding comes through the Reaching Home Program, Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, administered locally by Lu’ma Native BCH Housing Society and the Greater Vancouver Reaching Home Designated Community Entity, alongside support from Vancity Community Foundation.
It’s a reminder of something we’ve always known at SideBySide: a village isn’t built by one organization working in isolation. It’s built by everyone who shows up, funders, frontline staff, board members, and community partners all pulling in the same direction for kids and young people who deserve every bit of that effort.
To everyone who helped make Safe Harbour real, thank you for being part of this journey with us.
