$6-million fundraising campaign begins to fund youth wellness hubs in Huron-Perth-Grey-Bruce

Midwestern Ontario plans to open six youth wellness hubs to help with young people's mental health. CTV London's Scott Miller reports.

Youth Wellness Hubs are coming to Midwestern Ontario.

“When they walk in, they get access to mental health services, substance use, primary care, education, employment, and recreation all around them. Instead of having to try to come over here and over there, and navigate the systems that they may need, which they may not even know they need,” says Shannon McGavin, Executive Director of the Well Community Collective, the organization behind bringing “The Well Youth Hubs” to the region.

Shannon McGavin is the driving force behind “The Well Youth Hubs” in Huron, Perth, Grey and Bruce Counties. She’s spent the past several years, working on the project, that will see “The Well Youth Hubs” created in Goderich, Listowel, Owen Sound, Kincardine, Saugeen Shores, to go along with the two currently open in Exeter and Stratford.

“Huron-Perth-Grey-Bruce is a very big geographic area. And it’s really hard to suit all those areas. But, we are really trying to do it with a rotational approach right now. We are offering services one day a week in different sites as we’re building. We want this to be sustainable,” says McGavin.

Started in 2017 by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health(C.A.M.H), there are currently 32 Youth Wellness Hubs in the province. They are essentially youth centres, with ping pong and pool tables, along with the opportunity to access help of almost any kind.

“There are wellness services and more of that clinical side, but there are also skills and well-being services, or you can just drop in and hang out. There’s also employment services, anything related to housing,” says Reba Oldridge, Well Community Collective’s Engagement and Evaluation Lead, and Youth Action Council, Chair.

“It’s their home. It’s their space for youth and families to receive the services that they need to address all of their challenges, all of their opportunities, together in one place,” says Deb Chiodo, Director of Pan-Canadian Integrated Youth Services.

1 in 5 Canadian youth will experience mental health challenges, reports C.A.M.H. In Ontario, the wait for counselling and therapy for youth is 67 days, and 92 days for intensive treatment, according to Children’s Mental Health Ontario.

“Typically young people will go to multiple services if they have different needs, but now we’re bringing it to one. This way, they don’t have to access it in multiple places. They don’t have waitlists. Low barrier, all of it for right place, right time,” says Chiodo.

The province pays for staff salaries at Ontario’s Youth Wellness Hubs, but all capital costs and/or rent, comes from municipalities and local fundraising. Bruce Power has kicked off Midwestern Ontario’s “The Well Youth Hubs” fundraising campaign with a $1-million donation. Organizers hope to raise $6 million over the next two years.

“If it’s easy and accessible, people will step up. They will reach out at some point. So we’re going to do as much as we can, as quickly as we can. It truly is a community effort,” says Bill Walker and John Peevers, Co-Chairs of the “The Well Youth Hubs” $6-million fundraising campaign.

“It’s a significant investment, both from the local community, from provincial and federal levels, from families, along with philanthropic dollars. It takes everyone’s contributions to make integrating the services possible,” says Chiodo.

McGavin believes these “The Well Youth Hubs”, will save lives, giving kids at risk, a place to feel safe, and seek help, when they’re ready to seek it.

“They can walk in and charge their phone or grab a snack. So it helps with food security, which we’re noticing more and more, as we’re opening these hubs. Food insecurity is a bigger issue than folks notice, with our youth,” says McGavin.

You can learn more by visiting The Well Community Collective.