ReConnect Street Intervention Program

ReConnect, located at 575 Main St, provides short-term and long-term assistance through outreach to youth and adults who are homeless or at-risk of being homeless, all in an effort to increase their knowledge of available resources (i.e. food, clothing, shelter, education, employment and counseling) and to provide support in accessing them.

Drop-in services are available at ReConnect Monday to Thursday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. Volunteers are on hand to provide food, refreshments, activities and a listening ear.

“Partners for Change” is an alternative to giving change directly to panhandlers, and was launched in 2002. Funds from the collection boxes placed in local businesses help provide the fundamental resources like food and clothing to people in need through the YMCA ReConnect Program. “Working for Change” provides job opportunities to clients of ReConnect through downtown businesses.

The success of the Working for Change program depends solely on the business communities’ support and participation. ReConnnect is always looking to form new partnerships with businesses. These partnerships will further help to continue the reintegration of our clients to society.

Alternative Suspension Program

Alternative Suspension is a resource at the disposal of high schools, offering them support for students who, for different reasons, are temporarily suspended from the school they attend. The goal of this project is to decrease the number of repeated suspensions by offering young people an opportunity to transform the time they spend on suspension into a positive experience fostering self-development and self-reliance, in an environment that encourages self-esteem, the acquisition of social skills and the promotion of self-respect as well as respect for others; all of which is accomplished through educational workshops, individual interventions and group activities. A suspension from school represents a failure for the student, their parents and the school. Once the school resorts to suspension, it is important to make the time spent away from school an overall success, for everyone involved.