Filling in the gaps: New facility opens in Regina for youths aging out of care

When Amy-Louise Roberts aged out of social services’ care at the age of 18, she said she didn’t feel like she knew what she was doing.

“I didn’t really understand my responsibilities, I didn’t understand the supports I had, I didn’t really know how to ‘adult,’” she explained.

She said there was a bit of help with the adjustment, but it wasn’t enough. That’s why she and the others on the John Howard Society’s Youth Advisory Team came up with the idea for the new Semi-Independent Living Program in Regina. A ribbon-cutting for the program and its new facility was held on Thursday.

Youths in the care of social services age out when they turn 18. But like many new adults, they still need some support to navigate life on their own. The new program aims to provide that support, with 24-hour staff and a safe place to live.

“For some youth, that might be help with budget and paying rent and paying bills,” explained Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen, CEO of the YWCA Regina, which is running the program.

“For some youth, that might be an education program that they’re in and just supporting them. For some youth, it might be finding employment. And so I think that will really depend on what the young people need, and will be driven by the needs that they come with.”

Coomber-Bendtsen described the program as a community of care to help support youths working towards full independence.

She said the need is acute. When the YWCA was first presented with the idea, she said the organization looked at the people using its homeless shelter and found 30 per cent were in the early adult age range.

Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen, CEO of YWCA Regina. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

The provincial government is funding the program to the tune of $430,000 this fiscal year, with $865,000 committed annually. Social Services Minister Terry Jenson said when youths age out of care, they fall through the cracks all too often and become dependent on the government or wind up in the legal system, but the aim of this program is to support them as they develop positive lifestyles.

“This is going to enable a strong foundation for these youth – it’s a safe area for them, it’s going to provide security to them, and they’re going to wind up being stronger for it,” said Jenson.

Standing in the basement of the new facility, Roberts said it’s been three years since the Youth Advisory Team first came up with the idea.

“I can’t describe how amazing I feel right now,” she said. “I know that the entire team, all of us, put in so much work and so much energy into this, and there were a lot of times where we were wondering ‘Can we do this? How are we going to make this work?’”

The team worked hard on the idea, pushing and figuring out the best way to make it happen, and as it really started developing Roberts said it started to feel real.

“And coming here today, it’s even more real. It’s actually happening and it just makes me so happy, because this is what is needed,” said Roberts.

The new facility will have 10 units, with room for as many as 22 youths. They’ll be referred to the program by the ministry and will stay until they’ve developed the skills to be fully independent.

This is the first fully ministry-referred program of this type in the province. Jenson said the provincial government is willing to fund other, similar programs, but wouldn’t say whether any are already in the works.