Adding Beds at Life Launch
After years of planning and determination, Safe Haven Youth Services’ Life Launch program has expanded. In 2019, Lutherwood piloted a two-bed program in response to an increase in 16-18 year-old youth coming into our crisis shelter services. These youth are extremely vulnerable and at high risk of becoming street involved, dropping out of school, and aging into adult homelessness. Life Launch prepares youth for independent living by helping them develop life skills, manage their health needs, attend school, explore employment opportunities, and find safe affordable housing options. As a result of successful pilot outcomes and a long wait list, two generous donors came forward to offer sufficient funds to renovate the space and expand Life Launch to six beds. Today, we have a warm and inviting space and additional staff to welcome and support these youth.
Front Door Adapts to Community Need
As the community navigates the long-term effects of the pandemic, the pressure on Front Door’s assessment and referral service continues to grow. Last fall, there were nearly 200 children, youth and families waiting for an assessment to identify the local mental health services that would best meet their needs. On average, the wait time for an assessment was an unacceptable six months. After a dedicated campaign by the Front Door team, the number of children, youth and families waiting had decreased to approximately 100 by December with an average wait time of four months. Lutherwood is now working with community partners to identify alternate pathways into less intensive community-based services with unique referral streams outside of Front Door where appropriate to ensure children, youth and families connect with services more efficiently.
Partnership with the Canadian Arab Women’s Association
In October, our Employment Services team partnered with the Canadian Arab Women’s Association to host two large job fairs. Over 500 individuals attended the Kitchener and Guelph job fairs to meet over 20 employers with active job opportunities in the fields of information technology, education, warehousing, and trades. The two agencies collaborated to organize, recruit employers, promote and facilitate the in-person events which were open to all job seekers. This is an exciting partnership that we hope to grow over time.
Creating a Sense of Belonging
Lutherwood is continuing to focus on the implementation of our equity strategy. Our Equity Leadership Council continues to help foster a culture of diversity and belonging as they drive initiatives aimed at promoting anti-racism and anti-oppression. In the past year, Lutherwood has developed equity resources including a comprehensive diversity calendar to highlight important cultural events and observances, updated job descriptions to incorporate new language that reflects our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and established a more equitable recruitment process that attracts a broader pool of candidates. We have also engaged external facilitators to provide staff with opportunities to engage in open and honest conversations about anti-racism and anti-oppression, and taken additional steps to facilitate meaningful dialogue and reflection on equity issues amongst staff.
Expanding Child and Parent Place
Separation and divorce are hard on everyone, particularly kids. Lutherwood’s Child and Parent Place program helps separated/divorced parents and non-custodial parties maintain relationships with their children in a safe, child-focused and neutral environment. The Canadian Family Justice Fund is making a significant investment over a four-year period to modify and expand our supervised parenting services to help us add staff and increase the number of visitation spots available to high conflict families who require supervised access across Waterloo Region. We have also added virtual visitation options and purchased additional equipment to minimize the sanitation time required between in-person visits, thereby increasing the total number of visits that can be supported each day.
Helping Youth Find Employment
Last year, Employment Service’s specialized youth program, Getting Ahead in the Workplace, helped 57 youth take steps towards their employment and training goals. This program, funded through Service Canada, provided group-based and individual employment counselling to support youth in their journey towards employment. The flexible and tailored approach also allowed us to support the mental wellness of youth in addition to ensuring adequate food supplies, clothing, housing, and other basic needs. This unique combination of wrap-around supports, blended with employment counselling and direct connections to employers, provided stabilization as well as momentum forward into the workforce.