Government of Canada and youth haven Barrie celebrate opening of new shelter in Barrie

November 05, 2010

BARRIE, ON – The Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and Youth Haven Barrie celebrated the grand opening of a 20-bed facility for youth who are victims of family violence in Barrie.

Patrick Brown, Member of Parliament for Barrie, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for CMHC, and Cherry Laxton, Executive Director, Youth Haven Barrie, along with invited guests made the announcement.
“Our Government is proud to be investing in this new shelter,” said MP Brown.  “All Canadians deserve access to safe affordable housing, especially in times of need. This new project will make that vision a reality for residents of Barrie.”
The Government of Canada, through CMHC, provided $551,106 to Youth Haven Barrie through the Shelter Enhancement Program (SEP). 

SEP assists in repairing, rehabilitating and improving existing shelters for women and their children, youth or men who are victims of family violence. It also provides financial assistance for acquisition or construction of new shelters and second-stage housing where needed.

Youth Haven Barrie, located at 20-22 Wellington Street East in Barrie, will provide a safe place for youth who are victims of family violence in the community.

"This funding has enabled us to open our home and our hearts to many more of the homeless youth in our area, said Cherry Laxton, Executive Director, Youth Haven Barrie. “The new house allows us to say, "Welcome home", to those who don’t know the stability and love that a home can bring, and in opening our doors to them we offer the comfort and peace of mind that every child should know."

Youth Haven Barrie is Simcoe County's only emergency shelter for homeless and abused teens between the ages of 16-21.  For over 22 years, Youth Haven has provided emergency shelter, food, clothing, life skills, plans of action and after care services to at-risk youth in need of guidance and support.  Eighty per cent of the clients are victims of some form of abuse with the remaining 20% suffering from some form of mental health issue or drug addiction.  All of the youth utilizing the services are treated with dignity and respect and are given the opportunity to heal in a loving and supportive environment.

CMHC has been Canada's national housing agency for more than 60 years. CMHC is committed to helping Canadians access a wide choice of quality, affordable homes, while making vibrant, healthy communities and cities a reality across the country.

In 2008, the Government of Canada committed more than $1.9 billion over five years to improve and build new affordable housing and to help the homeless. As a part of this investment, the renovation programs for low-income households, including the Shelter Enhancement Program, were extended for two years. For Ontario this represents $73 million in federal funding for renovation programs off-reserve.

Canada’s Economic Action Plan builds on this with an additional one-time investment of more than $2 billion to build new and renovate existing social housing for low-income Canadians, plus up to $2 billion in loans to municipalities for housing-related infrastructure.