Sarnia-Lambton Rebound's safe space for youth now has a new name, and the agency held an open house Wednesday to celebrate the change.
The space inside of St. Luke's United Church on Indian Road, formerly known as The HUB, is now called The NEST.
The integrated service brings together more than 25 community partner organizations under one roof, with Rebound as the lead agency.
It's an inclusive drop-in space for youth aged 12 to 24 to gather, connect, and access support in a welcoming environment.
Program Lead Nicole Elliott said the name change will set the program apart.
"In the community there are so many different organizations now that are named The HUB, so we were kind of getting lost in the mix a little bit," said Elliott. "We decided that we were going to rebrand. It's the same thing, we're just hoping to re-envision ourselves in the community and be recognized as our new name, The NEST."
Elliott said the new name reflects their mission in action: Navigate. Empower. Support. Thrive.
"We're a place where youth can come and build a sense of belonging and connection," she said. "We have community partners that come on site and support the youth. It's nice because it allows them to be in a space where they are comfortable and familiar and the partners come to us."
Elliott said a recent provincial grant allowed them to spruce up the place.
"We upgraded our kitchen, we did a fresh coat of paint in there," said Elliott. "We installed some new curtains, we got a new fridge and stove. It's looking really nice. We had a gazebo built outside so now there's some shelter for youth who want to hang outside. I'm really looking forward to the summertime when we can sit out there and have a BBQ and play some cards and do some different programming.
Elliott said they'll soon be getting a shuttle which will allow them to take the youth to appointments, job interviews and elsewhere.
The NEST program served 189 youth in 2024-25, and they also offer things like food bank services and clothing.
Youth between the age of 12 to 15 years visited 1,948 times and youth 16 to 24 years visited the program 2,461 times.
Over 3,300 dinners were provided to young people.
The goal is to provide coordinated, youth-centered services, ensuring young people are not alone in navigating the resources and support they need.
The NEST is open Monday to Friday from 2:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.
