The Integrated Youth Services (IYS) program is on track to help the youth of Moose Jaw in 2024/25. Moose Jaw is one of four locations selected by the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan (JHSS) to host an IYS site alongside Regina, Humboldt, and the Sturgeon Lake First Nation.   

The program will deliver services including mental health and addictions, physical healthcare, employment support, social and community support to young people aged 12 to 25 and their caregivers. 

The IYS program aims to deliver these services to youth in one accessible location which will serve their needs in a coordinated and centralized manner. 

Pamela Reimer, Director of Integrated Youth Services, spoke about the experience a person can expect when accessing one of the IYS centres.  

“Sites will be walking in, seeing a space that has ... couches, chairs, games, some private spaces that might have rooms for meetings, one-on-one or meetings in a group as well.” 

She continues, “What they’d be hopefully coming into is staff that are ready and equipped to meet our young people where they’re at ... it needs to work for our young people, so we have a group of 19 active youth that have been working with us to co-design how these spaces could look.” 

Work on the sites is underway, with services to become available in 2024-25.