New safe space for Barrie youth
Youth in Barrie in need of a safe space now have a new option.
Catholic Family Services of Simcoe County officially unveiled the hub for its YouthCALL program. The space, which includes seating areas and activities, including a ping-pong table, is open to teens 14 to 19.
"It's a youth drop-in," said Amanda Fellows, the community programs manager for the organization. "So youth ages 14 to 19 can drop in and hang out with other youth, or they can connect with one of our youth outreach workers and just enjoy being together."
The YouthCALL program continued to operate throughout the pandemic but could only do so virtually. This new space was created after the organization received a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
The YouthCALL program is a joint effort by various groups, including Youth Haven, the CMHA, CONTACT Community Services, New Path and the Gilbert Centre.
"I think bringing organizations together helps to engage youth in a more intentional way," said Fellows. "We also have great school partners, so that's helped us to be able to promote the program."
Catholic Family Services has a presence throughout Simcoe County with spaces in Bradford, Innisfil, Collingwood and Orillia.
While the space is targeted to younger teens, the YouthCALL program has supports available for people up to the age of 28, including mental health and housing assistance.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante collapses during press conference
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante is 'out of danger' after collapsing during a press conference at City Hall on Tuesday morning.
Netanyahu says Israel will retain open-ended control of security in Gaza long after war with Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Israeli military will have to retain open-ended security control over the Gaza Strip long after its war against Hamas ends.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Poilievre keeps scoring into the Liberals' empty net
In his column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says Pierre Poilievre's new 'Housing Hell' video dealt a 'devastating' blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberals, whose cupboard seems empty of big ideas.
Financial intel agency hands down $7.4M penalty to Royal Bank of Canada
Canada's financial intelligence agency has levied a $7.4-million penalty against the Royal Bank of Canada for non-compliance with anti-money laundering and terrorist financing measures.
'Significant increase' in sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, Statistics Canada reports
Statistics Canada is reporting a 'significant increase' in rates of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) last year. The report also states instances of sexual assault were more prevalent among women.
Liberal ministers defend Speaker Fergus amid opposition resignation calls over video
Federal Liberal cabinet ministers are coming to the defence of House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus amid calls from the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois for him to resign from his impartial role over a video he made in his traditional Speaker's garb was broadcast at a partisan even over the weekend.
6.9 million customers impacted by 23andMe hack: company
Millions of profiles were accessed by a threat in the 23andMe data breach. Here's what that includes.
Parents finding daycare more affordable now, but that doesn't mean they can find it: data
New data from Statistics Canada shows that while child care is getting more affordable for parents, actually finding it is getting more challenging.
The U.S. House will vote next week on formalizing its Biden impeachment inquiry, Speaker Johnson says
The U.S. House will vote next week on formally authorizing its impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Joe Biden, Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday, asserting Republicans have "no choice" but to push ahead as the White House has rebuffed their requests for information.