A permanent home for Windsor-Essex's Youth Wellness Hub is closer following a gift from a local foundation.
The fundraising for the creation of the permanent Hub kicked off Tuesday with a lead gift of $1-million from the Solcz Family Foundation.
"The Solcz Family Foundation is proud to support Windsor’s first Youth Wellness Hub, a space that is safe and barrier-free, providing our local youth with a multitude of services all under one roof in a warm and welcoming space designed for youth by youth," said the foundation's Krysten Solcz in a media release. "We hope our community will join us by supporting this wonderful cause to help bring the right services to our youth at the right time and in the right place."
The goal of the fundraising campaign is $5-million.
The Windsor-Essex Youth Wellness Hub is currently housed on the campus of Maryvale in Windsor. The new home will be located at 215 Eugenie Avenue in a 10,000-square-foot facility. It will offer mental health and addiction services for young people aged 12 to 25, with no referral necessary.
Youth Wellness Hubs are a collection of 14 sites across Ontario. Maintaining the permanent one in Windsor-Essex will require the support of donors and community partners, according to Kim Willis with the Canadian Mental Health Association Windsor-Essex County.
"We are most grateful to the Solcz family for their amazing support and generosity. The Youth Wellness Hub is a game-changer for our community and something that youth and families have wanted for several years," said Willis.
Other community partners include Maryvale, the Windsor Essex Community Health Centre, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, New Beginnings, The Inn of Windsor, and the United Way.
Almost $2-million has been raised toward the goal of $5-million through initiatives like the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie Campaign, the 2021 Corporate Challenge, the Jackson Oglan Memorial Golf Tournament, and other fundraisers.
Since the temporary Hub opened in March at Maryvale, over 300 youths have visited for a total of over 1,000 visits. A total of 22 Hubs will be open across Ontario by the end of this year, with operations funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health.
Complete information on Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario can be found on its official website.
