{"id":638702,"date":"2026-04-30T14:17:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T14:17:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/638702\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T14:17:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T14:17:26","slug":"former-clinic-554-site-in-fredericton-to-become-service-hub-for-young-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/638702\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Clinic 554 site in Fredericton to become service ‘hub’ for young people"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

A former abortion clinic and unofficial transgender-care clinic in Fredericton that has been vacant for over a year is getting a new tenant, which plans to offer a range of services to youth.<\/p>\n

Fredericton council approved a three-year lease Monday night for the John Howard Society at 554 Brunswick St.<\/p>\n

The non-profit organization plans to operate an integrated youth service hub there, said Rose-Marie Stewart, a youth equity liaison with the society, who gave a presentation at the council meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to see our youth be successful,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cWe need to have something where all youth feel they belong.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe services offered at the hub will focus on health, wellness and social services.”<\/p>\n

A projected slide listed these services:<\/p>\n

Mental health and counselling support.Primary health care, such as basic medical services and referrals.Substance use services, including harm reduction and recovery supports.Cultural and community programming.Educational and employment support, helping youth stay engaged in school or transition into the workforce.Social services navigation, including assistance with housing, income support and family services.Peer support programs connecting youth with trained peers.<\/p>\n

The goal is to help young people \u201cget established\u201d with homes and jobs and as contributing members of the community, she said.<\/p>\n

To get there, some youth may first need help with other things, such as emotional regulation, resum\u00e9 writing, interview skills, shopping and cooking \u201cso the fire department isn\u2019t showing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ARose-Marie Stewart is a youth equity liaison with the Fredericton John Howard Society. She presented plans for a youth service hub to Fredericton city council this week. (Rose-Marie Stewart\/LinkedIn)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to recognize that each of these steps hinges on another,\u201d Stewart said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about putting a roof over their head.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hub’s services will primarily be for people 12 to 25 years old, but in some cases services will be offered to their family members as well, she said.<\/p>\n

Lisa Edwards, the society\u2019s assistant executive director, said the group already works with more than 50 youth through its other facilities and expects \u201cmuch, much higher numbers\u201d through partnerships it is building as part of the hub project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a new chapter and we\u2019re bringing a whole new perspective to this property,\u201d Edwards said.<\/p>\n

The City of Fredericton acquired 554 Brunswick St. in February 2025 \u201cin anticipation of changes being made to Barrack Lane and the George Street school site,\u201d according to council documents.<\/p>\n

The former Clinic 554 was identified for potential staff offices or space for a community group, such as this, to provide services.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of people wondered ‘What are you going to do with that property?” Mayor Kate Rogers said after the lease vote passed unanimously. “And we just knew we were going to hold onto it until we got the right project.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the perfect project.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t think of a better use for that building. I can\u2019t think of a better partner to be working with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staff suggested the lease was \u201can opportunity to put the building to productive use in the shorter term until the fate of George Street Middle School is decided.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AMayor Kate Rogers is pleased 554 Brunswick St. has ended up with the John Howard Society after Clinic 554 closed. (Mike Heenan\/CBC)<\/p>\n

They said the lease would support a local organization with a demonstrated track record delivering services that benefit the residents of the city and supporting a healthier community.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

John Howard Society also runs shelters, does street outreach and runs supportive housing units, among other things.<\/p>\n

City staff report also noted the lease would reduce risks and liability associated with a vacant building.<\/p>\n

The John Howard Society is being charged a nominal rent of $1 a year but will cover the operating costs of the building.<\/p>\n

Clinic 554 closed in the winter of 2024, citing financial problems related to the unavailability of government funding for abortions done outside of hospitals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Holt government has since removed that restriction, but there aren\u2019t any clinics doing the procedure, which continues to be offered at the same three hospitals as before.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is a new centralized phone line for booking, however, and widespread availability of an abortion pill.<\/p>\n

Clinic 554 had also focused on care for trans patients.<\/p>\n

The New Brunswick Trans Health Network says the province has declined to fund a new clinic or allow a physician role to be created for gender-affirming care.<\/p>\n

However, the group said it will continue to advocate for those things.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":638703,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":["post-638702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=638702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/638703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=638702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=638702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=638702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}