One Roof Youth Services announces move to new facilities this fall

One Roof Youth Services is moving onto bigger facilities after selling their current headquarters to VIVE condominium developers, according to One Roof CEO Sandy Dietrich.

The youth shelter has been providing shelter and support services for at-risk and homeless youth at its current base at 242 Queen St.South for two decades.

In late September, the organization will leave the downtown core for a larger property at Sheldon Avenue and King Street. 

"There is so much here in this existing facility that we have had to either cancel or put on hold because we simply don't have the space anymore," Dietrich said.

"We have the space to dream bigger and offer them more services and that's what resonated with them and what mattered to them, moreso than the physical address." 

A 'youth-specific' hub

Although the new headquarters will require a few rounds of renovation, eventually Dietrich plans for it to become a one-of-a-kind youth-specific hub in Waterloo region.

She wants it to house office space for youth-specific social services, recreational facilities, as well as two different housing models with varying levels of independence.

"The problem that the system has right now is that a youth comes into a shelter … and if we're able to find them an apartment, they have to jump right from having lived on the street or having lived in a shelter to independent living," she said.

Having both supportive housing (staffed around the clock) and supported housing (semi-independent) caters to the needs of the individual and makes for a more gradual and successful transition into adult living, she said.

One Roof's property has been purchased by VIVE Development, along with the two heritage houses neighbouring the current property. After demolishing the old structure and building new residential units, VIVE has pledged to donate three units to One Roof for supported youth housing.

That was one of the demands made by Dietrich during negotiations for the space last year.

Dietrich says the hunt for a new property took more than one year before the organization made the decision to sell.

The youth the organization works with were consulted, as were their new neighbours, once a new site was selected. She described the community's response as largely supportive and cooperative.