Youth in Newfoundland and Labrador are experiencing increased mental health, substance use and housing challenges and often have difficulty navigating a complex and fragmented system of support, which can be difficult to access and is not designed with them in mind. 

That is why Choices for Youth created its Outreach and Youth Engagement Centre known as Carter's Hill Place in St. John's. As an integrated youth services hub, Carter's Hill Place provides youth with seamless access to comprehensive support services in a single, centralized location. Operational since 2004, the hub has consistently worked to reduce barriers for children, youth and young families navigating complex systems.   

Earlier today, Sept. 2, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research announced $1.6 million of research funding for Choices for Youth and a team of researchers at Memorial University, led by the School of Social Work’s Dr. Kathy de Jong. Together, they will work to improve and expand the integrated youth services model across the province.  

“Through our integrated model of service delivery, including mental health supports, family-based services, food security services, employment and training, and supportive housing, we see measurable improvements in the lives of hundreds of children, youth and their families every year,” said Jen Crowe, executive director of Choices for Youth. “This investment from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research will help us better understand the unique combination of clinical and wraparound supports that strengthen youth well-being, and allow us to work with researchers to analyze, improve and grow this model to other regions in Newfoundland and Labrador.” 

Project to enhance integrated youth service delivery across the province 

Integrated youth services hubs bring together different services under one roof, such as mental health, substance use, peer support, primary care, housing, education and employment support — making it easier for youth and families to find the help they need, when and where they need it. 

The research funding will be used to gain a deeper understanding of the work done at the existing integrated youth services hub and develop a model of care that can be adapted to new hubs across the province.  

The hubs will be co-developed with local lead organizations, NL Health Services and Choices for Youth as the backbone organization. The project will also involve developing local services essential to their successful functioning. Following the implementation of new hubs, the project will focus on using routinely collected data to support their continuous improvement.   

In addition to Dr. de Jong, the cross-disciplinary research team at Memorial University includes Drs. Josh Rash and Nick Harris, both associate professors in the Department of Psychology; Dr. Maisam Najafizada, associate professor of health policy, Faculty of Medicine; and Dr. Tsering Dolkar Watermeyer, assistant professor, School of Social Work.  

“A project of this size and scope needs a multidisciplinary team at the helm,” said Dr. de Jong. “Our team will include the expertise that we, as university-based researchers, will bring, along with that brought by Choices for Youth leadership, staff, project evaluators, their youth advisory teams and their community-based researcher. Ultimately, this is a partnership that is based in youth and stakeholder engagement. It must therefore be driven by their identified needs and priorities.” 

Country-wide effort 

The initiative is part of a nationwide endeavour. The Government of Canada, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Indigenous Services Canada, and its partners, the Graham Boeckh Foundation and Bell-Graham Boeckh Foundation partnership, is investing more than $30 million over four years to strengthen and expand research within the Integrated Youth Services Network of Networks across the country.  

 The funding will advance research, data and knowledge sharing within and across 12 provincial and territorial integrated youth services networks and a pan-Canadian Indigenous network, to identify the most effective supports that work best for young people.   

 By building stronger data systems, the networks will also form part of a pan-Canadian learning health system: a model where data from care, research and lived experience is continuously gathered, analyzed and fed back into practice. This allows for real-time service improvements informed by what is effective and what requires adjustments.  

 “Young people are telling us loud and clear: they want mental health and wellness services that are easy to find, easy to use and designed with their voices at the centre,” said Marjorie Michel, federal minister of Health. “Today’s investment will help make that a reality in every province and territory, and it will make a real difference in the lives of young Canadians.”

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Dr. Kathy de Jong, School of Social Work, Memorial University, and Jen Crowe, executive director, Choices for Youth, are available for interviews upon request. To book interviews with Dr. de Jong, email chad.pelley@mun.ca; to book an interview with Jen Crowe, email kkeats@choicesforyouth.ca.