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8- The Oakville Beaver, Friday November 21, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Transitions for Youth can't afford to keep helping troubled teens By Jason Misner METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Agency announces doors will close Feb. 27 Programs reached out to youths in need of help Some of the programs offered by Transitions for Youth include: · Options The Options Program is for children and youths, (six-16 years old) and their parents. The children have behavioral and emotional difficulties at home, in school and in the community. The program's objective is to provide a range of supportive and early intervention services to children, youths and their parents. Work is done in the home on a one-to-one basis with the youth and the parents. There are also youth and parent groups provided. · Nelson Co-op Neighbourhood Program The Nelson Co-op Neighbourhood Program is an early-intervention program designed to enhance the developmental assets of children and youths in the Nelson Co-op neighbourhood. It provides positive recreation, engagement with community volunteers and mentors, peer connectedlead to a further deficit for TFY in the tens of thousands of dollars every year. Ellis Katsof, executive director of TFY, told the Beaver a key goal is ensuring its dozen or so programs, ranging from early intervention to supportive classroom work, are picked up by other organizations. He refused to identify which ness and healthy eating. · Bridging the Gap Bridging the Gap provides crisis services to youths (16-24 year olds) who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. · Section 23 Classrooms In partnership with the Halton public and Catholic school boards, youths who struggle with emotional and social difficulties are offered supportive classrooms (one elementary and one secondary classroom) that focus on academic and pro-social development. · YODA Youth Overcoming Depression and Anxiety is available to students across Halton and is provided in partnership with Woodview Children's Centre. This program is provided twice a week over 10 weeks to youths in Grades 6-8 who are exhibiting severe symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. the staff are taken on by the new organizations "because it's just a fantastic staff group." Katsof, who also faces unemployment, said current funding sources cover the salaries so no additional money is needed. He feels good TFY programs will continue operating. "The goal is to have a seamless The head of a long-time, unique social services agency, set to close its doors in three months, is hoping its outreach and justice programs will be handed to other organizations so current clients aren't negatively affected. Staring at a significant budget deficit next year, Transitions for Youth (TFY) announced on Tuesday that after 27 years in operation -- having helped thousands of at-risk children and youths along the way -- it's ceasing operations on Feb. 27, 2009 due to inadequate funding. The TFY has 24 full-time and 44 part-time staff plus 154 volunteers who are affected by the closure. Halton Region is working closely with TFY to come up with a solution. The organization -- which saw 22 per cent of its clients come from Oakville -- cited a series of reasons for the ultimate closure, notably a lack of reliable and consistent operating funds over the last 15 years. Particularly, TFY stated that while program and employee costs have risen due to inflation, the provincial government provided only one recent funding increase back in 2004-05. Other causes for closure included TFY's lack of revenue, with no government help, to cover expensive pay equity requirements. It said it would organizations might be in a position to take over the programs. Local groups that help kids and youths include Big Brothers Big Sisters, John Howard Society and Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK). Katsof said it was an emotional Monday when staff was told of the move to close TFY. But he stressed that he will strongly encourage that transfer of the programs, meaning we won't miss a day, so the clients won't even know it has actually happened," he said. "They'll still continue receiving the service... It'll just be under the responsibility of a new agency. "I feel positive there's more hope for continuation of our really exciting unique programs because of the decision that we've taken." He also noted volunteers have told him they want to continue helping out. TFY's current operating budget started at $4.1 million in April, but was scaled back drastically to $2.6 million by the end of this summer, with the closure of the Phoenix Youth Centre -- which provided open detention and open custody of male youths 16-17 years of age -- in September. Katsof said next year's budget was tracking a $250,000 deficit. The Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services funds more than half -- 56 per cent -- of the TFY's budget. Other major funders include the Region of Halton and Halton's four United Ways. Joyce See, director of community services for Halton, said she was "shocked" when she heard the closure news. "I didn't have any clue it was coming," she said. 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