Belonging Restored: Building a Permanent Source of Support for Vulnerable Youth
A $200,000 matching challenge could grow Centre for Youth Care’s permanent endowment to $800,000, creating approximately $40,000 in annual support for young people in our community.
For more than five decades, Centre for Youth Care (CYC) has been there for vulnerable children, youth and families in our region. Now, an ambitious matching challenge is helping ensure that support will continue for generations to come.
CYC has launched a $200,000 matching challenge with the J.T. Clark Family Foundation in support of the Belonging Restored Endowment Fund, a permanent fund held and managed by the Greater Saint John Community Foundation.
Before launching the public campaign, CYC had already secured an impressive $400,000 in donations and commitments toward the fund.
The next goal is clear: raise an additional $200,000 by December 15, 2026.
If successful, the J.T. Clark Family Foundation will contribute another $200,000, growing the Belonging Restored Endowment Fund to $800,000. At that level, the fund is expected to generate approximately $40,000 every year to support vulnerable youth.
Support for the needs that don’t always fit into a funding program
The Belonging Restored Fund was created to provide CYC with something particularly valuable: flexible, sustainable funding that can respond to the real-life needs of young people.
Annual income generated by the endowment can help with needs that are essential to stability but aren’t always covered through government or traditional program funding.
That could mean emergency assistance to prevent an eviction, groceries and basic necessities, transportation to school or work, counselling, employment supports, professional clothing for a job interview or hygiene products.
Sometimes, it can simply mean providing a small moment of care that reinforces something every young person deserves to feel: dignity and belonging.
Building on the impact of Mitchener Village
The campaign comes following the opening of Mitchener Village in June 2026, CYC’s supportive housing resource for youth ages 19 to 25 who are experiencing homelessness.
Mitchener Village includes nine affordable housing units, along with outreach, case management and wraparound support for young people living both on site and throughout the broader community.
The model recognizes that housing is only one piece of the equation.
Through safe housing, consistent relationships and individualized support, CYC helps young people maintain housing, pursue education and employment, access health services and build greater independence.
The Belonging Restored Endowment Fund is designed to help sustain that work well into the future.
A gift that keeps giving
Rather than being spent once, donations to the Belonging Restored Fund are invested and stewarded by the Greater Saint John Community Foundation, creating a permanent source of annual support for CYC’s work.
And right now, the community has an opportunity to make that impact even greater.
CYC has until December 15, 2026, to raise $200,000 and unlock the J.T. Clark Family Foundation’s $200,000 matching contribution.
Reaching that goal will mean an $800,000 permanent endowment — and approximately $40,000 every year to help young people find stability, opportunity and a greater sense of belonging.
Every gift brings them closer.