One venerable social service is leaving Welland, but another equally-committed health provider is taking its place.
“Serenity Place,” which had been operating since 1996 as a Women’s Place shelter at 102 River Road, has become Pathstone Mental Health’s newest centre, “River House.” It will be a smaller facility than their main, St. Catharines-based location, Branscombe Centre.
Pathstone Mental Health is a community-based organization, supported by donors and volunteers, and the primary accredited provider of mental health services for children in Niagara. The organization’s Director of Philanthropy and PR, Kim Rossi, was jubilant in sharing the news.
“We're really excited about the new site,” she said. “It's a great spot on the river, 300 metres from Main Street East in Welland, with a bus stop close by, improving the accessibility.”
It was no secret that youth mental health client numbers had been climbing about ten percent annually even before the pandemic, said Rossi.
“When Covid struck, there was a spike of 35 percent for us. We're at 9500 this year from across the region, with 427 kids on a wait list. About 40 percent of our kids are from South Niagara. Some people optimistically believe that when the pandemic simmers down, everything will be fine. But that’s not really how mental health works.”
Rossi said that she had been talking with a donor about expansion of Pathstone’s mental health services throughout the region.
“They contacted me a couple weeks later and mentioned that there was a site for sale in Welland on River Road, listed at about $1 million, and that if we were interested, they would fund the purchase. And that’s what happened.”
Pathstone and Women's Place are community partners, said Rossi, stressing that thousands of youth will be using River House.
“Mental health issues are not like a dentist appointment, where you have a checkup every six months,” she said. “Our youth clients use our services regularly. If you live in Fort Erie, the commute is over 40 minutes to our site in St. Catharines. A youth in an intensive therapy program can be with us for up to 50 sessions. They are struggling, so you can appreciate the commitment necessary. Our goal is always to reduce barriers to care.”
Mental health issues are not like a dentist appointment, where you have a checkup every six months
A new capital campaign is in place, with a goal of raising $750,000, which will fund renovations to the River House building, and allow for the hiring and training of new staff. Every dollar donated up to $250,000 will be matched by Mountainview Homes, whose owner, Mark Basciano, has championed many projects for Pathstone. Gifts of $5,000 or more will be recognized on a donor wall at River House, and donations of $25,000 will provide naming rights for rooms inside River House.
“We'll never get rid of our wait list if we don't hire more staff,” said Rossi. “This will be a hybrid campaign, targeting capital renovations on site, and addressing our expanding needs for trained staff. We’ll offer a walk-in clinic, one-on-one sessions, group sessions for parents, and childcare for those parents who are attending group sessions.”
In a news release, Women’s Place Executive Director Jennifer Gauthier emphasized that women and children will continue to have access to critical domestic violence services in Welland. Serenity Place previously provided ten beds in its shelter.
“All of our safe beds — 25 in total — will now be located at our Niagara Falls shelter, Nova House, which is undergoing a $3.6 million expansion,” said Gautier. “We will also be opening an outreach office at the Hope Centre in Welland in April, which will offer counselling for families, including housing advice and legal support, plus other critical services.”
