The Wait is Finally Over!
The cheers could be heard far and wide! On March 15, 2022, Kanata-Carleton MPP and Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, Merrilee Fullerton, visited the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre (DSYTC)’s live-in campus in Carp to announce more than $10 million in provincial funding for the second and final phase of the new treatment Centre’s construction. DSYTC now has a definitive plan for this important project. Well worth waiting for!
“We are ready,” says Board Chair Steve Bell. “On behalf of all our clients, families and staff members, volunteers, and donors – a sincere thank you to Premier Ford, as well as Ministers Elliott, Fullerton and Tibollo, who have all been such steadfast supporters of our work. I also want to thank the DSYTC Board and everyone who has been involved in the planning and advocating for this much-needed facility.”
The purpose-built centre will increase capacity by 25 per cent, reduce wait times for care, increase accessibility for those with special needs, and improve opportunities for the families and caregivers of youth in crisis to be supported and involved.
“I know Dave Smith would be overjoyed to hear the news,” added Mike Beauchesne, the Centre’s Executive Director. “It was his dream, his vision, to build a place of hope that will support youth and families in need for decades to come.”
One of Ottawa’s most beloved entrepreneurs and philanthropists, Dave Smith founded the treatment centre in 1993, which started providing live-in treatment services in 2010. His dream had been to build a customized facility to bring together the three separate sites in Stittsville, Carp and Carleton Place.
The new Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre will serve more youth and consolidate all services under one roof. Phase I of construction is now substantially complete and this funding announcement for Phase II will make all the difference.
Next steps will include a community campaign to raise the remainder of the required funds.
Cindy Manor, DSYTC’s Senior Director of Philanthropy, sums up the need: “It takes a village to help our youth grow, thrive and succeed. As our late founder, Dave Smith, once said: ‘It’s not a one-person job. It takes a whole team to turn lives around.’ I know our community will continue to support our clients and families every step of the way through this fundraising campaign.”
You can help make Dave’s Dream a reality by donating to our Village of HOPE campaign.