CMHA WW CHILDREN & YOUTH SERVICES BUILDING AND HOME OF THE GROVE YOUTH WELLNESS HUB NOW OPEN

Feb 12, 2024

CMHA Waterloo Wellington and the Grove Youth Wellness Hub are pleased to announce our doors are open to the new Children and Youth Services building located at 737 Woolwich Street North in Guelph. The three-floor building will welcome 9,000 local children, youth, and families in need of mental health and developmental services support each year. A formal grand opening will take place in the spring.

The new building is opening at a pivotal time in our community. Early identification of mental health concerns, easy and seamless access to support, and building resiliency is essential and will lead to better outcomes for our children, youth, and their families, so they can cope better, and then thrive during their adult years. CMHA Waterloo Wellington and The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs are working together to address the mental health challenges our children and youth are facing in our community.

We are excited to welcome children, youth and their families to a building that has been designed by them!  Half of the first floor and all of the second floor at 737 Woolwich is home to children’s services team, which includes the following supports and care options: counselling and treatment 0-18, child psychiatry, crisis, youth outreach, intensive service coordination, childcare and early years programming, family support options, infant and child development support and a walk-in service for children, youth, and families (every Tuesday afternoon!).

“After many years of dreaming, planning and constructing, we are so excited and grateful to be able to open our doors to support the wellness of children, youth and their families in Guelph Wellington.  We have created this new building, in generous partnership with Vesterra and many others in our community, to be a place of care and hope for young people who are struggling. Our doors are open – we are here for you,” says CEO of CMHA WW Helen Fishburn.

The first floor will also be home of the Grove Youth Wellness Hub, a Youth Wellness Hubs of Ontario initiative. The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs is a collaborative initiative, providing youth ages 12-26 with the support they need to build positive, bright futures. The Grove offers tangible solutions to the ongoing youth mental health crisis. From recreation, education and career support to counselling and peer-to-peer programs, The Grove provides help and encouragement to every youth in the community.

“This wonderful new space, designed by youth, for youth, will substantially increase our ability to connect with and support youth across Guelph.  The vision of this space was led by the Rotary Club of Guelph, and supported by so many members of our community, provides youth with a warm, welcoming environment, ensuring youth have access to all the supports they need.  Youth are at the centre of all that we do and we encourage all youth across our community to visit the Hub that was designed for youth, by youth,” shared Jeff Hoffman, Interim Executive Director and Chief Development Officer of The Grove Youth Wellness Hubs Wellington Guelph. 

The second floor of 737 Woolwich Street North has a commercial kitchen, there are also multi-purpose spaces throughout the building to be used to deliver community-based workshops, providing participants with valuable learning opportunities that develop skills to support themselves and others. The third floor is home to CMHA Waterloo Wellington administrative offices.