Program that helps at-risk youth could be forced to close days before Christmas

Three years ago, Robin Pariagh was flunking out of high school. Today, he has a good-paying job at a window covering company.

But he's distraught and concerned after learning the program that gave him a window of opportunity will be shutting down days before Christmas due to funding cuts.

"It's such a disappointment to see it shut down when it's such an impact to youth," Pariagh said. "It gives so much back."

The community-based program for at-risk youth falling out of the school system is called School Away from School (SAS). It works in partnership with Toronto's public and Catholic school boards and is run through the Jane and Finch youth organization called Promoting Education and Community Health (PEACH).

Students in the program work with teachers and a child and youth worker to attain high school credits and build life skills with the goal of ensuring a smooth transition back into mainstream education.

'I couldn't catch up with them'

Pariagh, 21, had attended four different high schools before enrolling in SAS in 2013. He showed up with 19 credits and needed 30 to graduate.

"I was always following the wrong crowd, not going to class," he said. I didn't follow up on any of my work and when I would show up to school, another issue was, I couldn't catch up with them."

He said the one-on-one learning at SAS was a much better fit for him.  

"I've seen myself do so much work in one day here, more than I would have in a whole semester," he said.

He managed to obtain all of his credits and graduate from Monsignor Fraser College.

Now, he's worried his 15-year-old brother Lenny, who currently attends SAS, won't be able to follow in his footsteps.

"I don't know where I'm going to put my brother," he said.

'It's a big deal because it's working'

PEACH informed staff and students that, due to a lack of funding, they will not be able to continue running the SAS program after Dec. 23.

More than 60 students use the space near Jane Street and Finch Avenue West each day.

Other community programs run through PEACH are also on the chopping block.

SAS program coordinator Talisha Ramsaroop said it will be devastating to close the doors.

"It's a big deal because it's working," she said. "These kids are doing amazing in this setting."

The SAS program has been running for 10 years and there are currently 15 students on a waiting list.

She explained that PEACH, which has been operating for 25 years, has relied on sponsors like Rogers to pay for overhead costs that total nearly $70,000 each month, but that funding has been cut.

Ramsaroop said staff have been staying late filling out grant applications and scrambling to try and get funding to save the SAS program. They have been reaching out to people on social media and have created a GoFundMe page.

"When you lose something like that, it means all of these young people who are doing good in this setting, might not being doing good anywhere else that they're placed," she said. "We don't know what it's going to end up looking like."

Eze Powley has the same unwanted question marks in his head.

Doesn't want son to 'fall back' 

His 17-year-old son Michael has been in the SAS program since 2014. Before that he was getting in trouble with the law and wasn't doing well in school.

He's seen many positive changes in his son, and is worried he will go back to his old ways if the program ceases.

"Falling back would cause a lot of chaos for me and him and his future," Powley said. "I'm just hoping for the best."

Spokesperson Ryan Bird said the Toronto District School Board is "saddened" that PEACH will no longer be able to provide the SAS program beyond Dec. 23.

"Our focus now is on ensuring the students in the program can complete their credits and that's why we're currently in the process of finding a suitable space in the community for them to do that," Bird told CBC News in a statement.