A special ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Tuesday morning, to mark the official grand opening of the Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario in downtown Sarnia.
The space is located at the former CIBC bank at the corner of Front and Lochiel Streets, and is being leased by the County of Lambton for $1 per year.
It assists youth aged 11 to 25 and their families who are seeking fast access to education, assessments, counselling and treatment surrounding mental health and addictions.
The Mike Weir Foundation was the lead donor for the project, bringing in around $1 million of the $3 million cost. The rest was raised through community donations, including $850,000 from Progressive Auto Sales, and there's also some funding from the province.
The local golf star said he's thrilled to see the facility become a reality. They've been fundraising since 2018.
"I'm very excited, it's been five years in the works," said Weir. "There's been a lot of collaboration with a lot of people. We've seen the renderings and everything, but to see it finally come to life is pretty incredible. It's actually better than I thought. The finishes and the well thought out ideas that have come to life in every room, it's pretty incredible."
Weir said it was extremely important for his foundation to support such a worthy cause.
"A kid that's in crisis can't wait a few months to see somebody," he said. "This is a place where they can see somebody right away and get the help they need in a welcoming and comforting environment."
Spoken Hope Youth Committee played a key role in the development of the hub, including its style, programming and atmosphere.
Co-chair Janessa Labadie said the space has a very laid back feel, and isn't clinical like a traditional mental health site.
"There are more plants, more colours, softer lighting and softer seating, and some different Easter eggs," said Labadie. "You just feel right at home. I think this is a much-needed and much awaited space. I know when I was younger, this would have been a space that I'd really like to go to. It's less hard to navigate when you come here, all of the services are under one roof. I don't need to Google six different services to figure out where I need to go. When you're 18, you age out of some services, and this bridges the gap. You still come to the same building, and you're not referred out."
Bluewater Health President and CEO Paula Reaume-Zimmer expressed her gratitude for the community's contributions.
"I'm absolutely elated," said Reaume-Zimmer. "This has been a ten year journey. We started in 2013 working with the province, and quickly showed Sarnia-Lambton as a community ready to support this initiative. So, for us to be recognized by the province and to have the community's support has been overwhelming."
Reaume-Zimmer said there's no doubt that local youth need this type of service.
"It's called transitional-aged youth because this is a group of individuals who experience the most life changes," she said. "So, it's not surprising that they have a lot of challenges and experience emotional distress. We needed a site that people could come to and recognize how normal it is to say 'hey I need some help'. It's going to be as common as going to the doctor's office when you have the flu. We need to recognize that in mental health. It could be working with counsellors, we have housing, substance abuse disorder counsellors and mental health workers."
The hub opened its doors to the public on July 11 and has already helped a number of youth.
It was initially hoped to open in September 2020 but the COVID pandemic put a delay on those plans.
Organizations involved in the initiative include St. Clair Child & Youth Services, Bluewater Health and Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Lambton Kent, Sarnia-Lambton Rebound, the Spoken Hope Youth Advisory Council and the Bluewater Health Foundation.
There are 14 similar sites across Ontario.
