1982: YESS Opens to Youth in Crisis YESS first opened the doors of its original brick building beside the Mill Creek Ravine on April 18, 1982, and was known as the Youth Emergency Shelter Society. A group of concerned social workers and citizens noticed a growing number of homeless 16 and 17-year-olds who were too young to access adult shelters and financial support, but too old for the provincial child welfare system. The opening of the shelter marked early efforts to understand and document how many youth were on the streets in Edmonton and why. While the problems facing 2SLGBTQ+ youth were not always well understood in the 1980s, there was an awareness in Edmonton of the vulnerabilities of street youth turning to sex work for survival. Bellamy Hill, colloquially known as "The Hill", was a well-known cruising ground in downtown Edmonton frequented by teenage sex workers. Homeless teens would also hang around outside gay clubs, in video arcades, or at newsstands known for carrying gay adult magazines. Youth would "turn tricks" or, in some cases, rob homosexual "dates” for money. Towards the end of the decade, pop music columnist Helen Metella set aside her report on the season’s concerts to describe crossing MacDonald Drive on her way to her office: “I refuse to believe that young hookers - male and female - would choose this work if they had other viable choices. Not with the threat of murder and AIDS that comes with every trick.” In light of a decline in donations to YESS, Metella encouraged readers to help the shelter surpass their $200,000 goal for covering their operational costs before signing off: “MacDonald Drive and others like it should not be the most attractive avenue of escape for teenagers in crisis.” In YESS’ first decade of operation, staff were also learning that many of their clientele were not stereotypical "runaways", but "throwaways", kicked out of their homes with little to no chance of reconciliation with family. While rarely framed in terms of sexuality at the time, being "thrown away" by family remains an all too common narrative among 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Since YESS was the largest shelter of its kind west of Toronto, and the only such shelter in Alberta, the shelter received teens who had come to Edmonton from nearby towns, reserves, and from as far away as Halifax. While YESS did facilitate placements with family where possible, many youth would face as much or even more danger with family from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse as they would on the streets. Queer Communities and Youth at Risk in the 1980s and 1990s Queer communities in Edmonton and Alberta at large were aware of dangers facing vulnerable youth in the 1980s and 1990s, but were also acutely aware that helping youth was not always easy. In an impassioned plea to the provincial government to study and address suicide amongst gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth, Pierre Tremblay noted the hesitation amongst older members of the community to help. Tremblay cited a recent two-part article published in an Alberta Gay and Lesbian Press magazine that called for forming a group to assist educators with helping queer youth, a call to action that was met with silence. Queer youth represented uncomfortable reminders of times adults would rather forget. An ever-present danger of being labelled as a pedophile or a “recruiter” also deterred adults from forming supportive relationships with 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Furthermore, Albertans of any age who were even suspected of being queer or trans were at risk of losing their housing, employment, or being refused services without any protections under provincial human rights legislation. Unhoused, unemployed, and unconnected with any family or community, alienated 2SLGBTQ+ street youth were all too often driven to drugs as negative coping mechanisms and even suicide. Edmonton's 2SLGBTQ+ community rose above those fears and stepped up to help local street youth. Fundraisers were invaluable to YESS, which was not eligible for government funding in those early years and depended heavily on donations throughout its history. From the 1980s, through the turn of the millennium, queer and queer-friendly organizations such as Womonspace or businesses like Secrets Bar and Grill collected modest sums for YESS at dances, performances, and other events. A listing for YESS even made an appearance in the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Wild Rose's 1987 Coronation program, named under “Our Favourite Charities". One of the most well documented queer fundraisers for YESS was Rebar's annual Gala on Whyte, which ran from 1995 to 1999 in the weeks leading up to the winter holiday season. The Edmonton Journal published photos of "resplendent" host Darrin Hagen in blue sequins, and reported sightings of city councillor Michael Phair in pyjamas on the catwalk, or flitting around the floor with other winged "fairies", selling balloons to attendees to raise money for YESS and the Sexual Assault Centre. Throwing a ball was one way to encourage donations, but celebrating the lives of queer activists was another. The obituaries of two local philanthropists with connections to YESS requested contributions to the Society in remembrance: Colin Robert Welch (May 17, 1920 - July 2, 1992), a founding member of the gay and lesbian affirming chapter of Dignity Edmonton, and Bernard Albert Dousse (October 1, 1931 - October 22, 2022), the recipient of the 2003 Michael Phair Award for his community service to Edmonton’s 2SLGBTQ+ community. The contributions these Edmontonians made to youth in crisis lasted even beyond their lives. There were ways other than financial that 2SLGBTQ+ Edmontonians and their allies could address the problems facing YESS and queer youth. Queer Canadian publications such as Times .10 and Calgary-based Outlooks both published articles on youth struggles with sexuality, abuse, homelessness, and suicide. While some advocated for greater education about 2SLGBTQ+ youth issues in mainstream society, others also encouraged intergenerational friendships within the queer community. Support for high school sexual education programs to dispel homophobic stereotypes and calls for queer clubs and organizations to bridge the generation gap reflected a growing awareness within the community of youth isolation. Remembering his own experience of high school as “a place of torture” rather than learning, one columnist optimistically wrote: Maybe someday youth, regardless of diversity, will be able to feel about whatever they want and not feel any oppression from their peers or teachers. They will be empowered to look at themselves without shame and know that they’re okay. Education continued to be a vital form of outreach for unhoused queer and trans youth, whether they were attending school or not. The ongoing AIDS crisis did not discriminate by age, and street youth remained both extremely vulnerable to the illness and extremely hard to reach. Before his volunteer work with the AIDS Network of Edmonton, social worker Kevin Hood educated staff and youth at YESS about the myths and risks of HIV and AIDS. “Young people don’t feel it’s an issue they need to worry about,” Hood explains, “I often see kids who are putting themselves at risk for AIDS. They need to talk to someone they feel comfortable with.” Outside of Edmonton, Marliane Koutis of AIDS Calgary indicated the importance of her youth outreach to Outlooks. “I have talked with some street youth that do not want social assistance, and are not interested in going to drop-in shelters,” she writes. “It is with these youths that I feel most helpful because it is quite likely we are their only real support outside of life on the street.” 2012: YESS and the 2SLGBTQ+ Community in the 21st Century After the Vriend v. Alberta case helped secure more legal protections for 2SLGBTQ+ Albertans in the spring of 1998, queer visibility at YESS and in mainstream publications continued to increase into the 21st century. The obituary of a young man encouraging donations to YESS clearly and proudly included his boyfriend, "the love of his life", among family and friends mourning his loss. A 2012 homophobic hate crime at a Whyte Avenue donair shop prompted reparations in the form of a $1,500 donation to either YESS or Camp fYrefly, “both groups who help and support gay youth". The connections between YESS and Edmonton’s 2SLGBTQ+ community, hinted at in the 1980s, became clearer and clearer as volunteers, donors, and vulnerable youth themselves became more willing to discuss them. In celebration of the organization's 30th anniversary in 2012, the Youth Emergency Shelter Society rebranded itself as Youth Empowerment & Support Services to more accurately reflect its vision for the future. The organization's specific supports for queer youth have grown dramatically since the 1980s. Over one third of youth at YESS surveyed identified as 2SLGBTQ+ between 2022 and 2024; that these youth felt safe to do so is just one result of YESS’ hard work creating safe, queer- and trans-inclusive spaces. YESS has worked on multiple levels to make sure client and staff identities are respected and to showcase YESS as a welcoming, inclusive space. Pride flags hang on the walls of all the programs as visible welcoming signs. Camiel Friend, a YESS Program supervisor, shared, “We have a lot of staff who are part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and some of us wear pronoun buttons, and we try to announce our pronouns to give the signal that this is a safe space.” Some youths have also used the pronoun buttons that YESS gives out as an opportunity to come out to staff and peers. On the topic of pronouns, Camiel added, “We don’t even use the words ‘preferred pronouns’ because that puts forward the idea that it’s a choice, even more than an identity–this is who you are.” In addition to wanting to feel supported individually in their identities, Camiel explained that many youths are also seeking a sense of 2SLGBTQ+ community at YESS: We have a lot of people here who are really wondering what that looks like and what that feels like. I really think this generation is pretty great with that and really accommodating and really understanding… and just pretty okay with people existing the way they want to exist. YESS staff also constantly engage youth to ask them what they want to see in terms of programming to build safe spaces. During Pride, the youths wanted to see a drag show, so YESS organized a colourful drag performance. The youths also wanted to hold a “reverse” Pride Parade, so everyone went outside and waved Pride flags at the passing cars. YESS is also connected to community organizations like the CHEW (Community, Health, Empowerment & Wellness) Project and the Pride Centre of Edmonton to help support 2SLGBTQ+ youth and staff. On the importance of bringing in community organizations to provide How to Become Better Allies training workshops for YESS staff, Camiel explained, “We have diverse staff coming from all over the world, with different experiences and understandings. So, it’s important for us to sit down and understand the common language and have a safe space to ask questions and have them answered.” Finding ways to adequately and affirmatively address the specific physical and mental health needs of homeless 2SLGBTQ+ youth also undergirds the youths’ sense of wellbeing and supports their personal journeys and future paths. YESS has actively sought doctors, nurses, and counsellors to support 2SLGBTQ+ identities, as well as pharmacists who can help with gender-affirming care recommendations and inclusive supports for health and mental health. “At one point we had five youth in the process of transitioning,” Camiel recalled, “so [having access to these professionals] was just phenomenal for us.” To support 2SLGBTQ+ and all homeless youth, YESS has aimed to deliver critical, timely, and appropriate programs, lead inclusive community initiatives, and work with community partners to help prevent youth homelessness. For thousands of 2SLGBTQ+ homeless youth, YESS has been the partner and pillar they needed in crisis, helping to “stabilize their housing, improve their wellbeing, build life skills, connect with community, and avoid re-entry into homelessness.” Conclusion: Emergency and Empowerment Since 1982, Youth Empowerment & Support Services has worked tirelessly to shelter, uplift, and advocate for unhoused youth in Edmonton. As the visibility of 2SLGBTQ+ community in Edmonton has increased into the 21st century, so have the challenges and concern for queer and trans youth. 2SLGBTQ+ youth, who so often take to the streets when they cannot find support from their families or schools, continue to be greatly overrepresented among homeless youth. Thanks to committed staff, volunteers, donors, and advocates, YESS has been a safe refuge for Edmonton’s most youth vulnerable for decades.