By Sydney Alexandra, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
“You deserve a village, and the village is here to support you,” said Grace Udodong, executive director of Oasis Youth Care.
A new youth and young adult resource centre opening this month aims to help young people access support before challenges escalate into crisis, offering everything from career guidance and life-skills programming to access to technology, housing support, and community connections. Operated by Oasis Youth Care, the resource centre was created to address a gap that Executive Director Grace Udodong says she has witnessed over the years: young people and families often do not know where to turn when they need help.
“I really do believe in the beautiful Afrocentric concept of the village,” said Udodong. “The community needs to present a space where young people can be seen and supported, where they can access care, connections, and support to navigate resources.”
Oasis Youth Care, whose mission is to create a safe space for vulnerable and marginalized youth experiencing homelessness through housing and holistic well-being, will be unveiling its new centre and officially celebrating its grand opening on Saturday, June 20, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
While Halton offers a range of community supports, Udodong said navigating those services can be difficult, particularly for vulnerable youth already facing significant barriers.
“The resource centre became the idea to help coordinate those connections and make it easier,” she said. “Young people still value human connection. They feel a stronger sense of reassurance when they’re face-to-face with someone who says, ‘We’ll figure this out together.'”
Udodong said the inspiration for the centre came from years of receiving calls from parents, churches, community agencies, and youth seeking guidance on available supports. “If I took a coin for every time someone called me asking where they could find support, that was really the inspiration,” she said. One recent conversation highlighted the challenge. A longtime Halton resident contacted Udodong seeking help for a young person facing homelessness, but was unaware of the region’s housing intake services.
“They had no idea that support existed,” she said. “This is somebody who grew up in this community.”
As an organization that already operates transitional housing for youth experiencing homelessness, Oasis regularly works with young people in crisis. However, Udodong believes many of those situations could have been prevented if support had been available earlier.
“The more stories I hear from these young people, the more I realize that if they had more prompt responses to the barriers they were facing, they probably would not have ended up in a crisis,” she said.
The resource centre represents what Udodong calls the preventive side of Oasis’ work. “We have 10 beds,” she said. “How about if we avoid 10 other young people from getting to that point?” The centre will focus on helping youth and young adults navigate conflict, connect with mentors, access community resources, and build the skills needed to overcome challenges before they escalate.
Although the centre is only now opening its doors, Udodong said the concept has been developing for several years. “It’s one of those ideas that’s been bubbling in my head for about three years,” she said. This project gained momentum after Oasis secured funding and support from several partners. The Halton Police Foundation funded the physical space, while the Ontario Trillium Foundation supported technology and security upgrades. Staffing support was made possible through the Canada Summer Jobs program. “Almost every level of government helped in some way to make this possible,” said Udodong. Sustaining the centre beyond its first year remains a key challenge, and Oasis is continuing to seek community support and funding opportunities.
The centre will serve youth aged 16 to 29, while parents, teachers, and community agencies will also be able to access information and referrals. Udodong hopes every young person who walks through the doors feels “safe, supported, seen, valued, and maybe challenged.” The facility will include a reading corner, computer workstations, free Wi-Fi, printing services, meeting spaces, and a lounge area where youth can gather informally. Programming throughout the year will include career exploration, academic support, life-skills training, wellness circles, friendship-building activities, and social events.
“Summer can be a very vulnerable period for young people, especially now that everyone’s facing financial challenges,” Udodong noted. “Parents probably can’t afford as many summer activities as they used to — I’m hoping that when they come in, they will see that we’re really ready to offer an alternative.”
Looking ahead, Udodong hopes the centre becomes a place where young people know they can turn for support long before they reach a breaking point. “I want young people to wake up in this community and know that there is somewhere they can go to be supported promptly,” she said.
At the heart of the initiative is the belief that no young person should have to navigate life’s challenges alone. “Life was not meant to be done alone,” Udodong said. “Come in, let’s get to know you. Tell us what you need, and we’ll try to create those solutions.”
For Udodong, the resource centre is ultimately about putting her proverb into practice. “‘It takes a village to raise a child’ isn’t just a saying,” she said. “I’ve lived the reality of what that means. It’s a real thing, and that’s what we’re trying to make happen at Oasis.”
