KFL&A named as one of eight new funded Youth Wellness Hubs in Ontario

Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) has confirmed funding from the Government of Ontario for eight new Youth Wellness Hub sites, including Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington.

According to a release from the Malby Centre, the Hubs provide integrated services for youth aged 12 to 25 years old in a “one-stop-shop” mode. The local site will be a partnership between Maltby Centre, Kingston Home Base Housing, Addiction & Mental Health Services Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington and Kingston Community Health Centres.

“As the Lead Agency in KFLA for children/youth mental health, we are thrilled to collaborate with our partners to design and implement the Youth Wellness Hub in our community as announced by Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario. We value this initiative because it will make a difference in our community, change the lives of the youth we’ll serve, and will help to create a healthy community,” said Karen Fleming, Executive Director of Maltby Centre. 

This announcement comes as Mental Health Week is recognized by Canadians across the country. Before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for high-quality youth mental health and substance use services, as well as other supports, has surged across Ontario, according to YWHO.

According to the release, the two-year funding agreement will create a Hub that will:

• provide rapid access to walk-in, low-barrier services with clear service pathways
• provide early and evidence-based interventions matched to individuals’ level of need, and supported transitions to specialized care services when the severity of need is evident
• integrate mental health, substance use, primary care, vocational, housing and other support services into a “one-stop-shop” model of care offered in a youth-friendly space
• reduce transitions between services through co-location and shared services in a single place
• establish common evaluation across sites
• co-create equitable and culturally effective services with youth & families

For the KFL&A YWHO site, Home Base Housing (One Roof) will be the YWHO Network Lead Agency, and Maltby Centre will be the Lead Agency coordinating the regional Roadmap to Wellness Task Force and signing partner to the OHT, according to the release. One Roof represents the urban component of the proposed YWHO site. Napanee Area Community Health Centre (NACHC) and Rural Frontenac Community Services (RFCS) represent the rural components of the proposed Regional Youth Wellness Hub.

The Maltby Centre said that more details on the project will be announced in June.