The first support hub for youth in Renfrew County has officially opened.
The Renfrew County Youth Wellness Hub is a project supported by Renfrew Victoria Hospital, and their CEO Julia Boudreau tells us that it’s a service that’s been missing for the estimated 11,000 youth in the county.
Boudreau says it’s the brainchild of Kim MacLeod, their director of Addictions Treatment Service. MacLeod sent the first proposal for a local Youth Wellness hub to the provincial government back in 2017, and it’s been in the works ever since.
Boudreau adds the Renfrew County YWHO offers a wide range of services for youth aged 12-25 including: peer support, mental health and addiction counseling, access to primary care from a nurse practitioner, and a monthly slate of recreation programs designed by their peers.
You can find the Youth Wellness Hub at 278 Nelson Street in Pembroke. The facility includes a therapy room, kitchen, craft and music rooms, and supply a room stocked with clothing, towels, hygiene products and more.
Boudreau says that plans are already underway for a second Youth Wellness Hub in the southern part of Renfrew County, which will be unveiled in the near future.
(written by Kasey Egan)