In January 2023, the WindsorEssex Community Foundation and Green Shield announced a total of $564,000 invested in four local charities to fund critical mental and oral health programs in the Windsor-Essex Community. Funding recipients joined Green Shield and the WECF at the temporary location of the Youth Wellness Hub Windsor-Essex, located at Maryvale, to celebrate this latest investment in community.
As a not-for-profit social enterprise, Green Shield has partnered with leading community organizations across Canada to commit a total of $75 million to social impact initiatives, with a focus on mental health and dental care, between 2020 and 2025. The WindsorEssex Community Foundation is proud to collaborate with Green Shield as a long-standing partner for transformative and innovative local investment.
The Canadian Mental Health Association of Windsor-Essex County Branch is a lead provider and advocate of community mental health services, providing treatment, collaboration, education, and community engagement. Their Youth Wellness Hub serves youth aged 12 to 25 by providing a one stop shop to address mental health, substance use, primary care, education, employment, training, housing and other community and social services.
Over the span of two years, funding from this investment will be used to support the development of programming of the Youth Wellness Hub Windsor-Essex and is estimated to impact over 2,000 lives.
Since August of 2022, 335 youth have attended the Youth Wellness Hub and accessed their programs and services. There have been 470 counselling appointments within the same time period, with same day service to access care. Over 1660 youth visits have taken place.
The YWH has built partnerships with various agencies allowing us to provide the following services in one centralized location breaking down barriers of accessibility for youth: Mental Health and Addictions Counselling, Peer Support, Substance Use Counselling, Family Navigation, Youth Outreach Workers, Nursing Services, Therapy Dogs. There have also been groups for financial literacy, education and tutoring, employment development, and self-esteem offered at the Youth Wellness Hub (YWH) location.
The YWH has successfully closed service gaps in the community by providing day of counselling services. Nursing services are provided weekly which supports equitable access to health care. We operate satellite services in Amherstburg and Leamington offering Mental Health and Addictions counselling and plan to continue to fill this service gap for youth living in rural areas by launching a virtual platform this month. There are currently no youth focused addiction supports in the community so this gap is now being filled through the Addiction Counsellor, Addiction Support Worker, and Peer Support we have at the YWH.
