The Grove’s annual impact report shows 30% increase in use of services

The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario saw a lot more use of its services from youth.

Its annual impact report said the use of its services and clinical supports increased by 30 per cent.

Executive director Jeff Hoffman said more young people are receiving the support that they need.

“More young people who wouldn’t normally be receiving support are receiving support at our sites,” Hoffman said.

He said the increase is leading to really positive outcomes around wellness and the hubs are having a real positive impact on the community.

Hoffman added there’s been an increase in mental health scores and decreases in anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation.

The site on Woolwich Street in Guelph is a one-stop shop for youth mental health and wellness. The space offers supports in mental health and education. Following the pandemic, he said they saw a 40 per cent increase in the number of individuals who needed access to service and supports related to mental health.

A large part of their work is in education as well, supporting students in middle, high or post-secondary school.

Hoffman said the Grove has also seen an increase in supports related to housing and food insecurity over the last year.

One of the ways they help support youth with services is by partnering with more than 40 agencies and community partners across Guelph and Wellington County.

“One of our first steps is to make sure that tonight they’ve got a safe place to sleep, and so when that happens, we connect with our partners at Wyndham House to ensure that we’ve got a safe space for that person to sleep tonight,” he said.

The Grove also tries to find out how else they can assist youth in other aspects of their life. Hoffman said partnering with different agencies in the area allows them to become a wraparound service for young people and provide the support that’s important to the individual.

The report also saw a 10 per cent increase in visits year over year as they welcomed 150-170 young people to connect, share and grow.

Hoffman said there’s an easy pathway to connect youth within the hub, whether it’s support related to primary care or financial systems.

The jump in numbers has Hoffman feeling positive about the hub’s future.

He said it’ll come down to partnering and collaborating with agencies as well as community support, which has helped the Grove’s growth.

Hoffman said it started with the Rotary Club of Guelph, which wanted to bring integrated youth services to the community.

“In those early days, the Rotary Club rallied. Our community service partners, community members, corporations and partners that step up and say, ‘I want to be part of this as well,'” he said. “And that’s the real key to our success as we take the next steps here.”

In addition, the Grove continues to look for ways to generate funding as Hoffman said sustainable funding is a priority for the organization.