Langley youth have a new space to seek refuge from their day-to-day problems, find temporary shelter, or simply hang out.
The Langley Youth Hub welcomed community members to check out its new location during the grand opening ceremony on Sept. 28.
The Hub is now located at its first permanent location at 6275 203 St.
The Kwantlen First Nation led the opening ceremony with speeches, songs and a special blanket ceremony to acknowledge people who played an important role in making the Hub a reality.
Michael Kelly Gabriel welcomed the crowd with his father, Kevin Kelly, by his side.
“The youth did a lot of work inside. They had a lot of say in how this building was created. A lot of families, youth, we don’t know what struggles they have as they walk on this journey of life. When they don’t have a home and they need a place to stay, this will be their home. Somewhere safe, warm and welcoming.
“When I first stepped foot inside this building I felt home. I felt safe. I felt comfortable,” said Gabriel.
After performing a welcome song and speeches, Gabriel and Kelly honoured seven community members who contributed to The Hub by wrapping them in First Nation blankets.
Blanket recipients were: Langley Division of Family Practice’s Barb Stack and Ellen Peterson, Dr. G. Gupta, Ministry of Child and Family Development’s Doug Behm, Marcon Construction’s Mike Meneghello, Town and Field Church’s Matt Myers and Hub community youth Elliot Cluney.
“It’s overwhelming, there’s so many emotions I can’t even put it in words. When you first hear about something like this, you don’t expect it to actually happen,” said Cluney, who’s been attending The Hub since it opened in 2016.
The Hub had been operating in rental space since its first opening day on May 24, 2016. The Hub has been operating at the new location since April 3, 2018. The Hub serves youth aged 12-24.
The new Hub looks like a typical family home; it’s fully equipped with an office, living room, kitchen, games room, bathroom and outdoor patio.
Youth can use the space to take a shower, eat meals, receive health and counselling services, play musical instruments, use gaming consoles, create arts and crafts or just relax.
Youth at The Hub are also referred to housing and employment support when needed.
The Hub is run by Encompass Support Services Society, a non-profit in Langley, and various community partners.
Communications & Administrative Coordinator Adrienne Barnett, said since opening the new location in April, approximately 20 youth drop in each time they’re open.
The Hub is open Monday to Friday at various times that can be found here.
City mayor Ted Schaffer and Township mayor Jack Froese also spoke, expressing their gratitude for The Hub.
“It’s a great place, it’s close to transit, there’s schools nearby. It’s a great location. This is one cool place to hang out,” said Froese.
Schaffer said young citizens are important to the future.
“You might wonder what senior politicians talk about. What’s important to our lives is what we pass onto our children. There’s a hundred things to talk about — homeless, crime, transporation, the environment, LNG. The things we talk about in our spare time? Our kids. That’s what’s important to us.”
The Hub runs workshops for housing and job search, anxiety and depression, substance use, disability support, harm reduction, Indigenous culture support and more.
For more information, The Hub centre can be reached at 604-546-1130.
