(Montreal) Quebec’s youth centers (MDJ) continue to suffer from underfunding and are urging the Legault government to increase its financial support in order to ensure their long-term survival.
The shortfall now amounts to approximately 72 million annually, mentions the Regroupement des maison des jeunesse du Québec (RMJQ), as a week begins highlighting the importance of these resources and their stakeholders among adolescents.
“The average budget this year in 2023 is $156,000 […] “It represents a third of what we need to operate,” said the general director of the RMJQ, Nicholas Legault, in an interview.
It lists that the 226 youth centers must notably cover the salaries of employees as well as activity and service costs.
Underfunding also has tangible consequences on these organizations. Some have reduced their opening hours and have to refuse young people, others have closed their doors altogether in recent years, maintains Mr. Legault.
The difficulty of retaining labor is another example. The RMJQ reports that according to a survey carried out among 400 Quebec teenagers, nearly 60% of them have experienced the departure of a significant caregiver during the last year.
Salary would be largely responsible for these resignations. “Our work teams are paid less than $20 an hour. We are talking about professionals who are trained, who have the future of our young people in their hands,” argues Mr. Legault.
With an increase in subsidies from Quebec, the MDJs could offer better salaries and consolidate their activities, mentions Mr. Legault.
If the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, claims to have increased the subsidies by several million dollars for MDJs, these increases are insufficient to close the gap, argues Mr. Legault.
“When we look at the figures and divide them by the number of organizations, that’s barely $12,000 or $13,000 per youth center. Beyond that, there are also remuneration criteria which mean that some will receive less, some perhaps more,” he says.
MDJs are trying to turn to other sources of funding such as municipalities and foundations. But even here, the funds remain meager to compensate for the shortfall, mentions Mr. Legault.
Leisure, an excuse
The funding issue may be linked to persistent false perceptions among the population regarding MDJs, according to Mr. Legault.
“We often have a view from the outside of the pool table, the table football, the couches. But all that is just material and the pretext for our work teams to get in touch with young people,” he explains.
“We use leisure to be able to create relationships, work on supporting young people so that they become independent and take responsibility,” he adds.
Mr. Legault indicates that stakeholders also play a role in well-being and health by providing prevention and awareness among young people.
Throughout the 26e Quebec Youth Center Week, which runs until October 15, several activities are planned to highlight the essential nature of these living environments and the work of their teams.