Plans will be floated in June to revive The SPOT as Malvern’s fully functional drop-in youth centre.
Five years in the making, the $2.3-million “youth-led” addition to the Toronto Public Library’s Malvern branch on Sewells Road opened in January 2013.
Last April, however, its staff announced The SPOT’s operational funding had run out, and their jobs had ended.
The library stepped in with emergency funds to keep open the 3,770-square-foot centre, which featured a Pro Tech Media Centre, a performance space and a recording studio.
“We’ve tried to keep the doors open, keep the youth welcome, (and) continue to listen to them about what they want in this space,” Patricia Eastman, area library manager, said last week.
Finding programs to run in The SPOT (Success Power Opportunity Teamwork) wasn’t difficult; finding operational funding for staff has been a struggle, said Eastman.
In June, she added, the United Way of Toronto and York Region, the city and library will talk to local youth about a new “sustainable” model for running The SPOT.
Money to build the space came from the city and the province’s Youth Challenge Fund.
Eastman added new programs are coming to The SPOT soon, including walk-in mental health support offered by Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
– Mike Adler
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