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Who we are: The Substance Abuse Program for African and Caribbean Canadian Youth

• The Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth (SAPACCY) promotes improved mental wellness for young people who identify as African, Caribbean and/or Black.
• SAPACCY is a program that provides community-based mental health and/or substance use services that are holistic, anti-oppressive, Africentric, and culturally safe for Black youth (ages 12-29) and their families/caregivers.

Who is the service for?

• Black youth ages 12-29 (and their family/caregivers) that are experiencing mental health and/or substance use challenges 

Program Overview/Service Approach

• SAPACCY takes into consideration the unique challenges that Black youth and their families and caregivers face with respect to anti-Black racism, criminalization, poverty, and other forms of discrimination and oppression in the mental health care and related systems, which have caused inequities in access, experience, and outcomes.
• Clinical teams work from an Africentric, youth focused, non-judgmental, anti-oppressive, anti-racist, harm reduction, intersectional, feminist, strength-based, and healing-centred lens to support youth of African descent and their families and caregivers in working through their mental health and/or substance use concerns and moving toward recovery. 
• SAPACCY services are confidential

Services offered

• individual and group counselling and psychotherapy 
• addictions and/or substance use supports 
• comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment and treatment planning
• mental health promotion and prevention
• intensive case management 
• wraparound supports and referral services 
• caregiver support groups
• trauma-informed and healing-centered interventions 
• crisis intervention

Services are matched to the level of care that best meets an individual’s (and their family/caregivers) needs.

Filling the Gap With Community Collaboration

March 1st, 2022 – Windsor Essex County

Organizations are working hard to deliver wrap around services that are targeted at high priority communities. To support this work a 38-foot mobile unit will transfer from the Windsor Essex Community Health Centre to CareLink Health Transit a Regional Service operationalized by the Community Support Centre of Essex County. The mobile unit will deliver targeted community supports and outreach through partnerships with Ontario Health, Public Health Unit, Municipalities, Canadian Mental Health, Community Supports, Emergency Services, Primary care and others.
The Community Support Centre’s CEO, Tracey Bailey says: “This is a diamond that has come out of the challenges of the pandemic and it is right in our wheelhouse! Partnerships will allow us to hit the ground running and development of 12 pop up days for 2022 are already underway. We anticipate pop up food security; coat distribution; medical assessment and more This unit will work with high priority
populations.”
As our teams of community champions grow in Windsor-Essex so will the on-site outreach and promotions to available services and supports.
Rita Taillefer Executive Director of weCHC says, “The evolution of this partnership between weCHC and CareLink will allow us to bring much needed health care and other services to individuals in our community who would not otherwise get the care they need. Looking forward, we are excited to work with other community partners in an effort to continue to deliver the right care at the right time and at the right place.