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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTR-99-86 (q J TOWN OF NEWCASTLE t kt� REPORT File # Res. # By-Law # MEETING: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE DATE: , December 15, 1986 REPORT #: TR-99-86 FILE #: Sl1B,ECT: JOHN HOWARD SOCIETY COMMUNITY YOUTH SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1 . That report TR-99-86 be received; and 2. That Council endorse in principle, the introduction of a Community Youth Support Services Program by the John Howard Society, Durham Region, Bowmanville - Newcastle Branch; and 3. That the John Howard Society, Durham Region be advised of Council's actions; and 4. That the Newcastle Community Services Advisory Board be advised of Council's actions. BACKGROUND & COMMENT: At the regular meeting of Council held on October 27th, 1986, Resolution #C-870-86 was approved. Said Resolution referred the matter to the Treasurer for review and subsequent report on the Society's funding of this program. The mandate of the John Howard Society is to help people in conflict with the law through service, education and reform. Important objectives are to involve the community in accepting responsibility for the problems of criminal justice and to take a pro-active stand in addressing crime prevention. Some of the specific contributions which the John Howard Society of Durham can provide in this program are: -broad community involvement, support, and expertise expressed in its volunteer board and its hired staff workers . . .2 G.P.A. Meeting (Page 2) Dec. 15/86 -strong managerial skills embodied in its executive director and co-ordinators -finance and accounting practices and certified independant audit -years of related experience working with youth -data collection and research capabilities -employment program and job search program -an established personnel policy and minimum standards policy This Society has a long standing history of providing community services in the Regional Municipality of Durham. The main office is located in Oshawa with branches in Ajax, Bowmanville and a Youth Residence in Whitby. The vastness of the Region and community needs not being serviced provided the initiative to expand into the Town of Newcastle in May, 1986 with the opening of the Newcastle - Bowmanville Office. At present, the Newcastle - Bowmanville Office is providing parole supervision, an employment program (including Futures through the Oshawa Office) , one-to-one counselling and community education through crime prevention. Recently, the staff of the Newcastle - Bowmanville Office have been actively assessing the needs of the community to determine future programming. The results of this needs study indicate that there is a lack of service in the following areas. 1 . There is no twenty-four hour emergency youth counselling service available located in the Town of Newcastle. 2. There is no agency providing emergency housing for youth in the Town of Newcastle. 3. There is no agency providing a evening community contact facility for youth with access to emergency services. 4. The nearest distress centre telephone number is long distance to most of the Town of Newcastle calling region. 5. There is an average of thirty young offenders weekly, either charged or given a warning in lieu of a charge in the Town of Newcastle by the Durham Regional Police Department. 6. There is no agency providing informal evening counselling in the areas of youth needs and problems. The purpose of the Community Youth Support Services Program is to provide a prevention service as well as a supportive service to youth during crisis or transition times in their lives. Community support would be established to assist those youth who are "at risk" of being involved with the criminal justice system due to family, school or social problems. A complete referral network service would be arranged and utilized in order to provide full community support for these youth. More specifically, the program would provide the following: 1. A twenty-four hour emergency youth counselling service 2. An evening youth contact facility 3. Streamlined access to emergency funding 4. Research and community education in the areas of youth needs in the community 5. A referral network of youth services . . .3 G.P.A. Meeting Pa e g 3) Dec. 15/86 6. Emergency, safe accomodation for youth 7. Volunteer recruitment and training of youth workers 8. One full-time community youth support staff worker Explanation of Services 1 . Twenty-four hour emergency youth counselling service to include a telephone "help" line and one-to-one personal counselling. This service would be conducted by the John Howard Society Staff from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. The youth support staff worker would provide the service from 4:00 P.M. to 11 :30 P.M. and a telephone answering service with paging to the youth support staff worker and/or trained volunteers would be utilized from 11:30 P.M. to 8:00 A.M. Services provided by the "help" line would include referral for emergency housing, transportation to housing and crisis assess- ment and referral. One-to-one counselling would be conducted by the youth support staff worker at the contact facility or by phone in the area of his/her expertise housing needs. In all cases, referrals would be made to appropriate community agencies which assist youth. 2. An evening contact facility will be open at a convenient location accessible by local bus service and within walking distance from the major population centre in Bowmanville. The purpose is to provide a place of contact for the youth after normal daytime office hours. No other community agencies provide intake and referral services during this time except the police who become involved after a crime has been committed. The time from 5:00 to 11:30 P.M. is the most active time for youth involved in criminal activity, vandalism, drug abuse and runaways. The contact facility will be established as a voluntary attend- ant centre providing a coffee shop for youth, table game recreational activities and a counselling room. It will be supervised by the community youth support staff worker and staffed by a team of volunteers. More formal programs teaching life skills in small group sessions such as self-awareness, self-confidence, relation- ships with others, problem solving and decision making, rules and laws, crime prevention, career planning and other topics would be created as the needs arise. The main objective of the contact facility is to provide contact with youth in order to prevent criminal activity and to defuse potential crisis situations. Counsellors will be thoroughly trained to deal with "at risk" youth. 3. Streamlined access to emergency .funding - will provide one-to- one liaison with a representative from the department of social services and other community agencies providing emergency funding for youth. . . .4 G.P.A. Meeting (Page 24) Dec. 15/86 U/ 3 , 0) 24. Research and community education in youth needs: While assembling the network of youth services, gaps in services will be uncovered. An ongoing community education program will include advertising and promoting present services as well as urging community response to the unmet needs of youth. Further programs will be developed as funds become available within the community and workers are avail- able. 5. Referral network to existing services: Youth support staff worker will become familiar with agencies existing in the community and would provide ongoing liaison and referrals to these agencies. All clients referred by the staff worker would be carefully followed up to assess outcome. The youth support staff worker would organize occasional gatherings for all the community youth workers on topics of mutual interest. 6. Safe, temporary accommodation: Tentative arrangements have been made with a boarding house in the Town of Newcastle to provide a number of rooms in a separate wing for emergency placements. The maximum stay would be three days conditionally dependant of contined one- to-one counselling. The youth support staff worker will be involved in these placements to provide and ensure adequate supervision as well as ongoing counselling for the client to find permanent residence. 7. The volunteer program: The John Howard Society of Durham has an excellent volunteer recruitment and training program. The expertise of the volunteer co-ordinator will be utilized as well as forms and procedures established by the successful John Howard Society of Durham Program. 8. One full-time community youth support worker will be hired to supervise this community youth support services program. Funding Requirements The proposed budget for the community youth support services program in 1987 amounts to $248, 180.00. Staff have been advised that the John Howard Society, Newcastle - Bowmanville Branch, have made application for a grant to the United Way and have been advised that $20,000.00 is to be allocated to them leaving a shortfall of $18, 180.00. The Newcastle - Bowmanville Branch of the John Howard Society has made application to the Newcastle Community Services Advisory Board for a 1987 Operating Grant in the amount of $5,000.00. At the time of preparing this report the disposition of the 1987 grants has not been determined. Further funding would come from individual contributions which are income tax deductible, various fund-raising activities, etc. Should this branch be in a deficit position at the end of 1987, staff have been advised that the deficit would be funded 100% by the John Howard Society of Durham Region. . . .5 G.P.A. Meeting ( Page 5) Dec. 15/86 ((A) In conclusion, staff would recommend that Council support in principle the establishment of a community youth support services program in the Town of Newcastle centred in Bowmanville. Respectfully submitted, Recommended for presentation to the Committee R. Blanchard *Chief c . Kotseff Treasurer i 'strative Officer JRB/PP S0, 198V Mr. Barry Reilly*, John Howard Society Durham Region, Newcastle/Bowmanville Office, 182 Wellington Street, 'BOWMANVILLE, Ontario. LIC IW3. Dear Sir: Re: John Howard Society Community Youth Support Services Program Our File: 10.2.11 At a regular meetinq of Council held Monday, October 27, 1986, the following resolution' was passed; "That the communication dated October 15, 1986, from Barry Reilly, Newcastle/Bowmanville Offices, John Howard Society, 182 Wellington Stre6t, Nwmanville, L1 IQ requesting input and letters of support for their now Community Youth Support Services Program, be referred to the Treasurer for review and subsequent report on the Society's funding of this program. " Yours truly, Rosemary Rutledge, A.M.C.T. , Deputy-Clerk, RR/os. Copy to: Treasury. JOHN Communications Direction -3 HOWARD SOC I ETY Durham Region a branch of the John Howard Society of Ontario L,A.YANCH WJ, FRY President Executive Director PATRONS October 15, 1986 Judge H. McNeill Michael Starr Terrence Kelly,Q.C. Mayor John Winters Town Of Newcastle OFFICES 94 Bruce Street P.O. Box 951 Oshawa, Ontario Ll H 7N1 The John Howard Society of Durham, Newcastle/ 579-8482 Bowmanville office, is proposing to introduce a 158 Harwood Avenue COMMUNITY YOUTH SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM dependent Ajax,Ontario upon securing sufficient funding. LIS 2H6 427-8165 The new program would include: 182 Wellington Street - A 24-hour Emergency Youth Counselling Service Bowmanville,Ontario - An Evening Youth Contact Facility LlC 1W3 - Emergency, Safe Accommodation for Youth 623-6814 - A Referral Network of Youth Services - Streamlined Access to Emergency Funding - Research and Community Education in the RESIDENCE 200 Byron Street North areas of Youth Needs Whitby, Ontario - A Full-time Community Youth Support Worker Ll N 41\11 668-461A These services would operate in the Town of Newcastle, centred in Bowmanville. We are seeking input and letters of support from you which would verify the need for this program. Sincerely, Mr. Barry Reilly Newcastle/Bowmanville Office "A UNITED WAY SERVICE" 46 IQ