Solid Rock Family Services offers transitional home to BIPOC youth in the Hamilton area

BY PAUL JUNOR

Solid Rock Family Services is geared to impact the lives of youth in the Greater Toronto/Hamilton Area. They are a registered non-profit service and child welfare corporation that offers holistic counseling, coaching, training, and mentoring services and programs that help to educate, heal and transform individuals and families.

It was founded in 2021 by Moy Fung who serves as its Executive Director. Her bio describes her as: an entrepreneur, professional speaker and coach committed to developing and facilitating transformational programs. Areas of focus include emotional wellness, personal development, child welfare, family success, redressing anti-Black/ systemic racism and promoting the advancement of empathy working organizations and societies. In addition, for over 17 years, Moy has been creating social change through community advocacy and entrepreneurship, economic development and empowerment of: men, women and youth of African descent.

One of the initiatives that Solid Rock Family Services launched is its first Transitional Home in Hamilton on Wednesday, March 29^th, 2023. According to information provided on their GoFundMe campaign it will be a place where they will provide a clean, warm, and stable home, a supportive community, and a loving and nurturing environment for our young people to thrive.

It will be geared to a specific demographic of the population which in “Answering the Call to a Social Need” research reveals some interesting statistics. It shows that “30% to 50 % of youth who leave foster care will face massive challenges: obtaining affordable housing, adequate employment, mental health support, and life skills development to succeed in a volatile society. In addition, this place of safety and security for young individuals aged 16 to 39 will be one which provides assistance to young people dealing with: homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges.

Solid Rock Family Services will provide holistic support to these youth involving a team of culturally appropriate support workers. Through a team approach, they will provide a range of programs such as:

• 24-hour on-site staff support (two staff each shift)
• Mental/emotional support
• Academic advising & higher educational support
• Job search skills training (resume writing, interview skills, etc)
• Financial education & planning
• Healthy meals and snacks
• Toiletries & personal hygiene products

They will access support such as:

• Advocacy/early intervention/preventive support
• Overcoming personal and systemic barriers
• Elevating mental, emotional and economic wellness
• Mentoring the family structure

Solid Rock Family Services describes itself as an equitable organization with a specialized focus on Black and other marginalized communities with the goal of reducing the Black representation in the child welfare system and providing transitional housing and support for those individuals. Their aim is to provide individuals and families with the: tools, resources, and support systems that are proactive in: transforming, empowering and equipping them to end negative cycles and heal generational trauma.

On Friday September 22^nd, 2023, Solid Rock Family Services held a fundraising event to raise approximately $20,000 toward the home. It describes a funding objective that will aid us in the first months to pay overhead costs and develop and deliver transformational programs and resources within a one-to-three-year transitional model in order to provide youth with quality support and to position them for future success.

This fundraising was a “Level Up” Professional Mixer and Fundraising with two main goals: to support a crucial cause and provide encouragement, inspiration to those of us who wake up every day to fight for the life we desire. It’s evening where we can draw inspiration and ignite the passion within us to drive in our next season and final quarter of the year.