Group that helps struggling youth in Sudbury forced to close

The Sudbury Action Centre For Youth (SACY) is closing its doors on Monday because it is insolvent.

SACY operates the only youth shelter beds in the city and a number of programs to help young people struggling with a variety of social issues, including homelessness and addictions.

The closure of SACY is causing major concerns for people who work in the social services sector helping the homeless, vulnerable and people who use drugs.

SACY operated the only youth shelter beds in the city.

“We don’t have actually any other agencies that can offer what SACY has been offering to our youth,” said Ginette Grandmaison, the basic needs co-ordination at the Elgin Street Mission.

“So it's very concerning knowing that there is nowhere else that these homeless youth are going to go to.”

Réseau Access Network, another non-profit in the city offering a number of harm reduction services, said the closure creates a big gap for vulnerable young people.

“SACY has traditionally been one to drive drug testing forward,” said Heidi Eisenhauer, executive director of Réseau Access Network.

“They’ve provided youth with drug testing kits. They have provided them with new equipment so with the toxic drug supply now this is just another area that will be a gap in the community.”

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In a statement, the City of Greater Sudbury said:

“The city continues to work with community partners to find immediate interim solutions for youth moving forward. We will provide further updates in the coming weeks.”

There is a meeting on Monday involving several community partners to discuss concerns and the gaps left by the closure of SACY.