Yorktown Opens a New What’s Up Walk-In® Location at Community Corner St. James Town

Since 2012, Yorktown Family Services has hosted a What’s Up Walk-In® location originally at our 2010 Eglinton West site and now within our Youth Wellness Hub Integrated Care site inside Unison Community Health Centre located at 1541 Jane Street, Toronto. During the summer of 2024, Yorktown partnered with Centre Francophone de Toronto and opens every Monday to receive people who want rapid access therapy in the downtown core. Over the next few months we will partner with Centre Francophone de Toronto to bring walk-in services in both French and English.

Over the last 12 years, our What’s Up Walk-In® Clinics have provided service to over 10,000 children, youth, young adults, and their families. We’ve hosted over 17,000 visits while reducing pressure on the Infant, Child and Youth system in Toronto with less than 25% of people using the requiring more intensive therapeutic services.

Starting November 4th, 2024, we are pleased to announce that Yorktown Family Services in partnership with St. James Town Community Corner located at 200 Wellesley Street East, Toronto will open a new What’s Up Walk-In® mental health therapy clinic for children, youth, young adults and their families. St. James Town is located in the northeast corner of downtown Toronto and covers the area bounded by Jarvis Street to the west, Bloor Street East to the north, Parliament to the east, and Wellesley Street to the south.

St. James Town is one of the most densely populated communities in Canada at 1312% higher than Toronto. Approximately 18% of the population makes less than $39,000 per year; St. James Town has one of the largest non-status residents and immigrant populations in Canada at over 65%; St. James Town has the most recent immigrants in Toronto at 14%; 35% of the population has children and youth under the age of 25; St. James Town is one of the most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in North America.

The What’s Up Walk-In® (WUWI) network is Toronto’s only free, six-day-a-week mental health counselling walk-in service for infants, children, youth, young adults, and families. Therapists offer walk-in, solution focused sessions. The service is a collaborative initiative of 6 publicly funded Children and Youth Mental Health agencies that operate 7 sites in the City of Toronto.

The clinics help with issues such as depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidal ideation, sexual identity matters, bullying, behavioural concerns, addictions, and anything else that might be on one’s mind. No fees or health card required.

What’s Up Walk-In® is designed to support the mental health needs of Toronto’s infants, children, youth and young adults up to their 29th birthday*. Parents, families and caregivers may access service along with their child.

We are pleased to bring What’s Up Walk-In® clinic to St. James Town. If your organization is interested in partnering with this new initiative please reach out. Yorktown Family Services would like to thank the Ministry of Health and Strides Toronto for this opportunity.