IROQUOIS – South Dundas could have its first Youth Wellness Hub this year if all goes according to plan.
At its October 6 council meeting, not only did South Dundas council hear a presentation from Eastern Champlain Youth Wellness Hub officials, they agreed in principle to partner and enter into an agreement with the organization to establish an outreach site in Iroquois.
Ultimately, the Youth Wellness Hub will be located in a portion of the Dundas Archives Building located at 5 College Street in Iroquois, but that building is not yet ready to welcome a new tenant.
Architectural, mechanical and electrical upgrades are necessary before any new tenant can move into the municipally owned building that once housed a medical clinic, so while municipal staff are working on the required building upgrades they are also working to get the Youth Wellness Hub open and available even before the building is ready.
Staff asked for and received council approval to use the Iroquois Civic Centre as a temporary location.
South Dundas director of parks, recreation and facilities David Jansen does not yet have an exact time-line regarding how soon the Wellness Hub will start offering its outreach services in Iroquois.
“Because there are so many moving parts I don’t know exactly when, but it should happen in 2024,” said Jansen.
The Iroquois site will be an outreach site affiliated with the main Cornwall & SDG Youth Wellness Hub located in Cornwall.
It already has outreach sites available in Hawkesbury, Embrun and Alexandria and thanks to the efforts of municipal staff, specifically recreation program coordinator Melissa Friolet, the Cornwall & SDG Youth Wellness Hub is willing to bring a South Dundas site under its umbrella.
The Youth Wellness Hub Ontario Model is an Integrated Youth Services model that supports communities in bringing together existing services to work in a new way to provide youth and families access to high-quality, developmentally appropriate services at the right time and in the right place.
It aims to provide a safe space for youth to access support and the care they need.
The services provided aim to build effective, youth-focused and integrated services to address mental health, substance use, and related concerns among youth aged 12 to 25 years.
The proximity to Seaway District High School will make it easy for students to access the site and the lack of youth services available in the South Dundas community make this new partnership attractive to all involved.
The target is to have the outreach site open and staffed every other Friday.