Rural youth can be in crisis too, says Choices for Youth, which is aiming to open 2 new hubs
From left to right: Jen Crowe, CEO of Choices for Youth, Matt Piercey, director of NL Integrated Youth Services, Darla King, vice president of transformation (well-being) in N.L. Health Services, and Housing Minister John Abbott. They all spoke in a press conference on Monday about issuing proposals to two new integrated youth services hubs. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC)
Choices for Youth is aiming to open two integrated service hubs for youth and young adults in rural areas of Newfoundland and Labrador, and is looking for ideas on where to put them.
In a news conference Monday, chief executive officer Jen Crowe said the organization has issued a request for proposals for them. The eventual location of the hubs will be shaped by what proposals the non-profit receives.
Choices for Youth has been running such a hub for many years in downtown St. John's, on Carters Hill Place.
The group is certain there is demand for rural hubs, in part because of who's been showing up in the city.
"We've noticed that many young people come to this location from other parts of the province," Crowe said.
"Those young people overwhelmingly don't come to St. John's because they want to, but because they feel that they have no choice because the services that they need are not available in their home community."
Crowe said a young person — defined as someone under 30 — can walk in and ask for food, ask to see a physician or a mental health professional, ask for shelter or be put on a housing waitlist.Crowe says the St. John's hub helps as many as 1,300 people a year.
She says the new hubs will be tailored to the needs of the specific communities chosen. For example, an applicant can state their priority is to have an emergency shelter while for another it is to have more mental health support.
"We really encourage that kind of catered approach to service delivery in these regions because, ultimately, we aren't the experts in these regions," Crowe said. "Those folks are."
Hubs will work with health teams
Darla King, speaking of behalf of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, says the health-care providers are part of the family care team model. A team can include nurse practitioners, family physicians, a dietitian and social workers, among others.
"We have 23 of these teams now, either operating or in the development stages, and we're sure they're hoping to be some of those lucky working with the integrated youth services model," King said.
WATCH | Solutions will address issues specific to the region, explains Choices for Youth director:
In August, Choices For Youth — after being rejected for federal funding that had been sustaining key programs — let go of some staff members and put some of its social services on pause.
However, Crowe said the hub wasn't affected because it's funded from the provincial government.
Housing Minister John Abbott said the province allocated $3.4 million to the creation of two additional hubs in the 2024 budget.
He said the hubs will be selected on particular criteria, "including readiness to become operational, capacity, regional needs and many other factors."
On the N.L. integrated youth services website, proponents are told that if they do not have the ability to implement the hub quickly but "demonstrate a substantial need" for one, they can still put in a proposal.
Matt Piercey, director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Integrated Youth Services, said the goal of the hubs is to eliminate barriers to services.
"It's hard to reach out for support," Piercey said. "Imagine then if you're in rural Newfoundland and Labrador and all the barriers that you have."
Piercey says they are accepting applications until Nov. 15, and plan to review them by the end of the year.
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