New youth wellness hub to be located in Sudbury's YMCA

A new centre for young people will open in Sudbury this spring.

The provinceannounced two Youth Wellness Hubs will open in northeastern Ontario including one in Sudbury and the other in the Algoma region. There is already a Youth Wellness Hub in Timmins.

The centres offer a variety of services for people aged 12 to 25, including primary care and mental and social services.

Billy Mekers is the strategy and communications manager with Compass, a child and youth mental health agency in Sudbury that will work with public health to set up the space.

He said it's important for young people to access a variety of services in one location.

"So there's really no wrong door at the hub," he said.

"The need in Sudbury was indicated back in 2017 with the northeast having a youth death by suicide rates greater than the provincial average as well as the local opioid use and the increase influx of those cases to the emergency room. There's just a great need in our community for additional support for this age group."

Mekers said the centre will help young people already actively dealing with addiction or mental health. He also said the centre wants to take a proactive approach, such as helping a teen who needs to access medical care who doesn't have a family doctor.

"That includes access to a nurse practitioner who will be on site at least a few days a week," he said.

Mekers said other supports include a mental health clinician team, peer support workers and employment services.

Accessing services 'when they need them'

The centre will be set up in the Sudbury YMCA in the city'sdowntown. The director of clinical and client services at Compass said a focus group was done with local youth to determine where the space should be located.

"It was imperative to use to find a centralized space where youth felt safe and welcomed," Mark Fraser said.

"Our goal is for youth to be able to visit the hub and easily access the services they need when they need them."

The YMCA of Northeastern Ontario has been working to make significant changes to its Sudbury location. In January, the YMCA held a town hall with members and told then the organization is forecasting a loss of $300,000 to $350,000 per year across the northeast within five years if it doesn't make changes.

The Sudbury location is on track to lose $700,000 to $750,000 a year. As a result, the YMCA is looking to change its agreement with the city over utility costs, recruit more members and make better use of the downtown space.

"We are thrilled to partner and share space with Sudbury's Youth Wellness Hub, a fantastic addition to the Centre for Life (Sudbury YMCA)," Helen Francis, president and CEO of the YMCA of Northeastern Ontario said.

"As the YMCA, we are committed to our community and through this partnership, we can continue to strengthen the health and wellness of youth in our city."

Compass said it will work with Public Health Sudbury and Districts in the coming months to develop and design the space.