More youth in crisis will have a safe place to stay thanks to the new Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre’s youth safe house.
Tillicum Lelum held an opening ceremony Friday for the eight-unit safe house located on the same property as the centre’s 18-unit youth and elder housing on Tenth Street.
“It’s nice to see it completed,” said Grace Elliott-Nielsen, executive director of Tillicum Lelum.
The safe house, for at-risk youth ages 14-19, provides eight beds, has a larger living space and is wheel chair accessible. The previous safe house had four beds. Construction on the $750,000 project began last September and was completed in March.
The project received $375,000 in capital funding from the Ministry of Child and Family Development, $100,000 from the Vancouver Island Health Authority and the remainder was financed by Tillicum Lelum.
The centre was awarded a three-year, $975,000 operating grant
Elliott-Nielsen said having that grant in place allows the Tillicum Lelum to focus more of its efforts on offering services instead of worrying about grant writing.
Demand for the youth safe house fluctuates. The house provides a temporary safe place for youth in crisis, however, in the winter months some youth have stayed longer.
“It provides a space when they have no place to go” said Elliott-Nielsen, adding it’s available to any youth who is in crisis or is at risk, not just First Nation youth.
While in the house the youth can access help and support from social workers, team support workers, nurses, doctors and others. Having the safe house next door to the 18-unit housing facility also allows youth staying at the safe house to connect with elders.
Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre also plans to construct a child and young mothers centre on the Tenth Street property. Construction for the 6,000 square foot facility is estimated at $3 million and Tillicum Lelum hopes to open it in 2013.
The two-storey facility will have 24 childcare spaces on the first floor and the second floor will house space for the centre’s Mother’s Residential program. The program helps young mother’s learn parenting skills and connect with services and supports.
Elliott-Nielsen said Tillicum Lelum created the program because some young mothers were losing their children to ministry services and it wanted to create something to help prevent that from happening.
“Babies were being apprehended before they left the hospital,” said Elliott-Nielsen.
The architecture of the building will reflect traditional Coast Salish design. It will have a backyard playground. The playground won’t have structures or slides, but instead will be an outdoor space of grass and trees for kids to play in a natural setting. Inside there will be a circular reading room, a dedicated arts and craft space and a family room for visits with elders.
For more information please go to www.tillicumlelum.ca.