Integrated Youth Wellness Network Hubs Come to Midwestern Ontario

by Bob Montgomery

Integrated Youth Wellness Network Hubs are coming soon to communities in Grey, Bruce, Huron and Perth counties.

Executive Director Shannon McGavin of The Well Community Collective says their mission is to work with communities, families and youth specifically to address the wellness needs of young people. She says the hubs support young people between the ages of 12 to 25. She says there could be young people in rural areas who often don't feel they belong. Young people who are looking for a safe space, a place to belong, for recreational activities but also a place where they can go and get immediate mental health and substance use care or they could also see a nurse practitioner if that was required. She says the hub is barrier-free and the young people decide what they need.

McGavin says the young people could still be in school but need someone to talk with, or they could need help for anxiety or depression. She says the hub hours would be from roughly the school lunch hour and into the evening because that's when they're most likely to be needed. McGavin says the need for walk-in youth friendly service across all four counties is extensive and that these hubs address gaps and challenges for local collaborating service providers. The Youth Wellness Hubs of Ontario that operates in Guelph-Wellington sees anywhere between 400 and 600 young people in a month. She says the locations in Huron, Perth, Grey and Bruce will depend on where the needs are.

McGavin says the program will require funding and they're working with local communities to develop coordinated service agreements, developing a capital fundraising campaign and seeking funding from the province. More information about the Well Community Collective can be found on their website.