Youth suffering from substance abuse can find a virtual safe place supported through pandemic emergency funding
According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, 25% of Canadians aged 18-54 report their alcohol consumption has increased. This means youth are either drinking more and/or have someone close to them drinking more. In current conditions, during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, many youth are feeling isolated and alone and are unaware there are others just like them in their community.
Little House Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Society is a Delta community hub of services and resources promoting health and wellness through prevention, education, and collaboration with community stakeholders. We provide a comfortable, accessible and safe place for individual and family counselling, assessment and referral, recovery meetings, and peer-to-peer support.
With additional support of $ $10,000 in emergency funding from the Delta Foundation, the Little House “Heart of the Youth” program is providing to youth, affected by substance use disorder, an online, safe, non-judgemental space to share their thoughts and feelings, begin to heal and develop a supportive community.
The funding comes from the Emergency Community Support Fund, during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, administered across the country by Community Foundations of Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada, along with two other networks, United Way Centraide and Red Cross.
By participating in individual and group counselling online, youth, who’s substance use and process addictions have increased during COVID-19, will gain an understanding of the coping mechanism they have chosen, how it is affecting their lives in a negative way and what they can do about it. They’ll able to form a community they can turn to instead of engaging in substance use or process addictions.