Story highlights:
- Crystal, like many young parents, faced numerous challenges when she first visited Youville Centre; balancing the demands of parenthood while battling addiction and struggling with her mental health.
- As a member of project step, which is co-convened and co-funded by United Way East Ontario, Youville provides resources to young parents like Crystal to help them regain stability, pursue their education, and build a better future for themselves and their children.
- Youville Centre is witnessing the effects of a mental health crisis on local youth, with many struggling to access the care and support they need.
- We know it can be difficult to focus on long-term goals without the right support, and that’s what makes our partnership with Youville so critical.
At 19, Crystal was struggling with her relationship, her mental health, and battling addiction. Then, she found out she was pregnant.
Feeling overwhelmed, Crystal heard of Youville Centre and reached out for support.
Youville is a holistic mental health agency located in Ottawa focused on young mothers and birthing parents, and their children. With the help of United Way, new and expecting parents have access to a range of services, including a fully accredited secondary school, mental health therapy, parenting classes, substance use counselling, and a licensed child development program. With on-site childcare, young parents can focus on completing their education and accessing vital support, while their children thrive in a nurturing, enriching environment.
“Being at that age and having a child so young, it was very scary for me. And that parenting class definitely made me see that I can be a successful mother for my daughter.”
Youville Centre’s support helped Crystal regain stability for herself, her child, and her future. She has now graduated high school, pursued higher education, and is caring for her daughter and 4-month-old son.
“They opened their arms with big open hearts and welcomed me and gave me everything that I need to get my life back on track,” says Crystal.
Supporting young parents through challenges and growth
As part of the project step network, Youville Centre is committed to supporting young parents as they navigate parenthood, often while balancing education and work with overcoming addiction or other difficult life circumstances.
By providing specialized services in a safe, supportive environment, Youville helps these parents build the skills and confidence needed to move forward.
“Our goal is to try to make services as inclusive and welcoming as possible to provide a safe landing where they can explore what their needs are, what their strengths are, what their preferences are in terms of accessing services and getting the right people around the table to support them.”
While every parent at Youville has their own story, one thing they all share is a powerful motivation: their children. At Youville, they find the support they need to succeed, surrounded by a community that truly cares for their wellbeing.
Ensuring those in need have care at a critical time
“There definitely is a, I would say, mental health crisis that’s been spoken about by many people, in youth particularly,” says Natasha McBrearty, Clinical Supervisor at Youville Centre. “So, the fact that we’re able to offer mental health and addiction services through our services, to help clients navigate to those services, is so vital.”
At United Way, we work with frontline mental health and addictions services across Prescott-Russell, Ottawa, Lanark County, and Renfrew County to ensure people have access to timely and culturally appropriate care.
By looking at the bigger picture, we set people on track for a healthy life with stable employment, housing, and positive social connections.
