Integrated youth services sites open in Halifax and Sydney
Opposition members say province needs to show more urgency in opening 5 remaining sites.
The Nova Scotia government on Tuesday celebrated the opening of two new integrated youth services sites, while opposition parties challenged the province to prioritize getting more sites open sooner.
The new sites, which provide access to immediate mental health and social services to people ages 12 to 25, are in Halifax and Sydney.
According to a news release from the province, integrated youth services sites provide “counselling, peer support, life skills groups and mental health and wellness services, and help with employment, education and training.”
The province opened the first of eight sites in April in Amherst, with the remaining five sites expected to open by 2027.
Brian Comer, minister of addictions and mental health, said in the release it’s important that young people and their families have a comfortable place to access services.
“These sites are run by people who care about their communities and who offer support without judgment. Improving access and removing barriers to these supports and services is one more way we’re strengthening universal access to mental healthcare for all Nova Scotians,” he said.
The province is investing $8.4 million over the next several years to set up the eight sites and the IWK Foundation has committed to raising an additional $10 million.
Community organizations will deliver services at each site in partnership with other youth-focused organizations, with IWK Health providing leadership and oversight, the release said.
Rod Wilson, the NDP’s health and wellness critic, said the province needs to continue the work on these sites but with more urgency. He said there are huge gaps not being filled.
“We know that if the government wants to do something, it can do it tomorrow. We learned that through COVID … ask the communities what do you need to get this done and make it a priority,” Wilson said.
Liberal House leader Iain Rankin said the province needs to be opening more sites like this, but faster.
“Across the country we see provinces opening up dozens of these in the same amount of time so we need to get moving on them and we need to treat mental health like the crisis it is,” Rankin said.
During health committee proceedings on Tuesday, Suzy Hansen, the NDP MLA for Halifax Needham, asked the IWK about roadblocks in getting these sites up and running.
Maureen Brennan, the clinical director of the IWK’s mental health and addictions program, told Hansen finding space, the increasing cost of construction and labour shortages have presented big challenges. She said each of the sites needs to be 7,000 square feet to be operational.
“We have been able to work around many of those [challenges] by escalating and pulling in key construction leads across the province to help us, to pull in leasing agents to help with securing some supports for sites, and we’ll continue to escalate and work with sites where they’re at,” Brennan said.
“And the last thing I’ll say is that because the investment across Nova Scotia is tremendous — eight sites — it does take time and so we’re now at the point where we expect ongoing openings over the next two years.”
Anchor Youth Space Halifax, hosted by YMCA Greater Halifax/Dartmouth, is located at 2269 Gottingen St., and Anchor Youth Space Sydney is at New Dawn Enterprises at 37 Nepean St. The Sydney site held a grand opening on Sept. 19.
