Mission Youth (MY) House has seen an uptick in numbers in recent months.
The youth house — which is a collaborative program involving multiple Mission agencies — has been welcoming an increased number of both local youth and others from neighbouring areas.
Greater Vancouver Youth Unlimited provides management and staffing for MY House, including Mission Area director Calvin Williams.
“Overall it’s really positive work going on,” Williams said. “Some of the hard work is really paying off.”
Roughly 15 youths per day come through the Mission location. Williams is still trying to nail down the exact reason for the rising numbers.
Young people from Chilliwack and Langley are coming to MY House more often because there’s no other place around that provides the cumulative services of MY House, according to Williams.
However, the facility has seen an increase in local usage as well.
“It’s like a family feel. [The youth] say they feel like they got family at the house with everybody there,” Williams said.
Part of MY House’s orientation asks oncoming staff to imagine the youth house as a five-star resort.
“We are the service staff of the resort and when youth come in, they are our luxury guests,” he said.
MY House still has a small team and Williams hopes to bring in more staff and volunteers moving forward.
“As more youth come in, it’s really important that we have more adults in there to match it,” he said.
According to Williams, the ideal ratio is three youth per one volunteer or staff member. Currently, the ratio is seven to one.
“Our capacity is over capacity at the youth house with the number of units and the number of staff we have,” Williams said.
Meanwhile, the Mission Youth (MY) RV can be found at four local schools during lunch hour and after school. The program is only available to elementary and middle schools so far, but Williams hopes it can expand to the high school in the near future.
“A lot of students are coming to hang out at the RV at the lunch hour or after school for support and connecting with youth workers,” he said.
MY House was also involved with Mission’s foundry application that was submitted in fall 2023. In March, the province announced the list of new foundries and Mission wasn’t included.
The vision for a foundry in Mission was going to include the integration of MY House.
“Obviously, if it was approved, it would come with a whole bunch of new resources and support. So we’re going to keep on trying,” he said.
During Youth Week (May 1 -7), Jester’s Theatre will be hosting improv for young people at Mission Youth Centre. MY RV will also be connecting with youth at the skate park on May 5.
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