Our Stories

Everyone who comes to Delisle Youth Services has a different story. Here are four of them. (All names have been changed to protect the privacy of our clients.)

Jason’s Story

Seventeen year old Jason was referred to Delisle’s Homelessness Outreach Program through his school’s social worker. His mother had just given him two days notice to move out of her home.

Jason was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 14. As long as he took his medication, he had done well in school. But when his mother, who also had a serious mental illness, stopped taking her medication Jason stopped as well. He began to miss school, and then dropped school altogether. He now had a $5,000 student loan to repay, and had begun to receive notices that his payments were overdue.

Delisle’s staff met with Jason immediately. We found a friend he could stay with, and helped him re-connect with his psychiatrist and get back on his medication.

We also helped Jason renegotiate his student loan, so he could postpone payments until he has work. In the meantime, we helped Jason apply for Ontario Works and pursue the Employment Program to explore training programs he could realistically manage.

Kelly’s Story

Thirteen year old Kelly has severe autism and an intellectual disability. He had been going to a specialized classroom with one-on-one educational assistance. However, he was trying to injure himself over a hundred times a day and attacking others as well - especially his mother. His father worked long hours six days a week, and his mother was having an increasingly hard time managing Kelly’s behavior.

The Special Needs Team worked closely with parents, the school and the community service team to develop a safety/behavioral management plan for Kelly. Funding was secured to hire specialized in-home workers to give his mother a much-needed break and to put a clinical program into action.

However, Kelly still needed a residential treatment program to best address his out of control behavior. While residences for youth with Kelly’s diagnosis are hard to come by, we found a Toronto based agency able to offer a six-month stay.

Kelly has shown great progress. The residence’s staff are teaching Kelly’s parents new management skills. And staff are carefully planning how Kelly might eventually return home to his parents with ongoing support.

Clare’s Story

Three years ago, Clare was in crisis. She had been abused by her father. Her relationship with her mother and brothers was non-existent. She was heavily using drugs as a way to cope with her situation, and was struggling at school.

Clare brought her life under control in Delisle’s long-term residence, and enrolled in Delisle’s Section 20 school. The school proved a perfect match, enabling her to work at her own pace with the help of teachers and Child and Youth Workers. She made many friends with both students and staff.

After a year, with the help of Delisle’s Housing Worker, Clare was able to live independently in her own home. But even after her move, her drug use stayed down, and she kept coming to school. Now she is ready to graduate from the Delisle Day Program’s Section 20 school as a confident, very independent and focused young woman.

Dionne’s Story

Fourteen year old Dionne was being sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend. But she didn’t realize what was happening to her was wrong until the boyfriend threatened to torture her beloved pets if she told anyone “their secret.”

Dionne was able to reach out to a school counsellor, who in turn referred her to Delisle’s Long-Term Residential Program. At that time, Dionne was skipping school. She was afraid to be alone, afraid of men, and wore far too many layers of clothes. As staff got to know Dionne, they realized she was cutting herself, and spotted signs of depression and anxiety, as well as the effects of the abuse on her self-esteem and trust.

Delisle’s consulting psychiatrist confirmed the staff’s suspicions and began treatment for depression. At the same time, residence staff gradually began to build a trusting relationship with Dionne. They helped her create a safety plan if she felt suicidal, and taught her ways to cope with sadness. They also took a firm line against self-harm, so Dionne would know they put her safety first.  The staff also worked with Dionne’s mother, who had not known whether to believe her daughter or her boyfriend.

Gradually, Dionne understood that the abuse was not her fault. She re-engaged with school. Self-harm was dramatically reduced. And she slowly learned to trust adults again.

That was ten years ago. Today, Dionne manages her own business caring for animals. And every year, she returns to Delisle to celebrate her good life.