Centre built with Tina in mind

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This article was published 20/08/2015 (3863 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The slaying of Tina Fontaine was on the minds Wednesday of everyone involved in a new $2-million Marymound program that will help girls with exceptionally high-risk and complex needs.

The secure treatment facility for youth with complex needs will open in September, Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross said in a release Wednesday.

Planning for the project at the social services agency on Scotia Street predates the 15-year-old’s unsolved homicide a year ago, but Tina was the type of girl the project should help, Irvin-Ross said.

“We’re talking about young women who have complex mental health and addiction needs,” Irvin-Ross told reporters. The secure facility will include medical, psychological, cultural and physiotherapy supports.

“The murder of Tina Fontaine shone a spotlight on Manitoba Child and Family Services,” Irvin-Ross said. “We have a responsibility to fill those gaps (in meeting needs). The child-welfare system could have done a better job with Tina Fontaine.”

Marymound CEO Jay Rodgers estimated there are dozens of girls in Manitoba who could meet the program’s criteria, and more will get help as soon as spaces open up.

“These would be kids with significant history of very risky behaviour… kids involved in the sex trade, being exploited,” likely suffering from addictions, Rodgers said.

He said about 20 dedicated staff will work with six girls for three to six months to stabilize them. Then they’ll move into a second phase of the project in early 2016 to help them transition back into the community and their families, while Marymound accepts more girls into the program.

Marymound hopes to double capacity for both phases. Rodgers said the children they’ll serve have needs so complex they challenge the system’s ability to serve them.

“This is a group of kids that has seen far too much hurt, seen far too much sadness in their lives, who need a place to belong,” said Josie Hill, director of Blue Thunderbird Family Care.

Irvin-Ross said the secure unit will work to reunite the girls with their families as soon as possible.

“It’s only one piece of a multi-faceted asset,” said Irvin-Ross, who added the province is developing a wide range of programs to help Manitoba’s most troubled youth, including 120 additional emergency beds in recent months.

“These aren’t the only beds we have for complex youth… Prevention is vitally important,” she said.

Irvin-Ross told reporters since May 11, “We haven’t used hotels at all in Winnipeg” for emergency youth housing. There has been occasional use of hotels in rural and northern Manitoba, but as of Tuesday, there was none currently being used, said the minister.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca