Coming soon – Fall 2025
Preventing youth homelessness is a critical step toward ending homelessness altogether—and schools are uniquely positioned to support early intervention. This online training introduces the Reconnect program, an innovative, school-based model that integrates education and youth services to support students before a housing crisis occurs. Designed for educators, community organizations, and funders, the training highlights how Reconnect identifies at-risk students early and provides tailored support that aligns with academic goals.
Through this training, you’ll learn how the Reconnect program model operates within schools, and what’s needed to help young people stay engaged in school and maintain stable housing. You’ll also gain practical insights into building strong cross-sector partnerships and adapting early intervention strategies to your community.
By the end of the training, you will be able to:
- Describe key features of the Reconnect program model, including early identification, tailored support, and integrated school-based services.
- Recognize common risk factors that impact school engagement and housing stability.
- Identify practical strategies for reducing barriers within diverse school environments.
- Show how to strengthen partnerships between schools, service providers, and community stakeholders.
- Set the stage for future skill development and continued learning in youth homelessness prevention.
Who Should Take This Training
Community service providers working in youth-serving agencies who want to learn about the Reconnect model and apply change management strategies to support at-risk students.
Educators and school administrators interested in partnering with local service providers to improve student engagement, address housing-related challenges, and enhance academic outcomes.
Acknowledgments
Reconnect is an early intervention program designed to support young people and their families by preventing both school disengagement and youth homelessness. It is a research initiative of Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab, co-led by A Way Home Canada and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.
Reconnect is recommended for communities interested in school-based prevention approaches and in strengthening collaboration between schools and service providers as part of a coordinated youth homelessness prevention strategy.
If you want to learn about bringing Reconnect to your community, visit the Reconnect page on the Homeless Hub.
© 2025 | Canadian Observatory on Homelessness