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Partners Family Services in Humboldt is one of the homes to Saskatchewan’s new Integrated Youth Services Programs, and IYS is poised for a rebranding to create an identity that’s meaningful to youth and service partners.
"HOMEBASE" has been selected as the organization's name, along with the slogan "For Youth - By Youth." The name and identity were established in collaboration with the IYS provincial youth co-design team, states a release from the Provincial Government.
"Integrated youth services make it easier for our young people to access the supports and services they need in one location," Mental Health and Addictions Minister Tim McLeod said. "The new brand ensures young people ages 12 to 25 and their caregivers can easily identify IYS sites."
Services typically offered through IYS include mental health and addictions services, peer supports, physical health, education, employment and training supports, cultural and traditional supports, and social and community services.
The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan (JHSS) is coordinating the IYS sites with $3.4 million in funding from the Government of Saskatchewan in 2024-25 for development and operations.
"HOMEBASE is so excited to launch our identity as we move forward on our journey to open sites to meet the needs of young people throughout our province," HOMEBASE Director Pam Reimer said in the release. "We are grateful for the youth on our co-design team who spearheaded this process and did the heavy lifting as we enact our vision of how HOMEBASE will be shaped."
In January 2024, the JHSS announced that PARTNERS Family Services in Humboldt would be among the first of the site, along with the partner organizations YWCA Regina in Regina, and YMCA of Regina in Moose Jaw. The Sturgeon Lake First Nation Health Center in Sturgeon Lake First Nation is the fourth organization to host a site, after previously hosting one as part of a national research project.
Site development and hiring of staff is nearly complete. Sites will be operational starting in fall 2024.