Grocer 4 Good nets $1.14M in federal crime prevention funding for Queen Street cafe

Grocer 4 Good will receive $1.14 million from the federal government over the next five years to support youth employment opportunities in a soon-to-open cafe on Queen Street East.

Cafe 4 Good is currently under construction on the main floor of 326 Queen St. E. — a building that was gutted by fire and once considered for demolition before being purchased and renovated by new owner Carmen Muto Plumbing and Heating.

The soon-to-open cafe will create job opportunities for at-risk youth through the investment by the federal government through its National Crime Prevention Strategy.

Lisa Vezeau-Allen, Grocer 4 Good founder and executive director, said the new cafe will take take up part of the formerly derelict building and create a vibrant and welcoming space to give opportunities to youth who otherwise might not be given the opportunity to hone their job skills.

"Whether they are uneducated, whether they don't have high school, whether they have never had a job, maybe they are neuro-diverse or have another kind of disability, we welcome everyone and it really ties into our ultimate mission — that everyone has value," Vezeau-Allen said Thursday morning, during a funding announcement in front of the cafe space that is still under construction.

Grocer 4 Good Ability Development Program was founded by Vezeau-Allen in 2019, offering employment opportunities to youth living with barriers, while also providing affordable food to an under-serviced area of the city from its Gore Street location. Vezeau-Allen also serves as a city councillor for Ward 2.

A pop-up cafe is currently operating from the Grocer 4 Good teaching kitchen, employing five people. That operation will be scaled up when Cafe 4 Good opens in the near future. 

Vezeau-Allen said the funding, which will be distributed over the course of five years, will support the hiring of a manager, a cafe cook supervisor position and the infrastructure to operate the cafe, but the funding does not cover the wages for the at-risk youth who will be working there. The funding will also support a youth counsellor to work with the employees over the time they are working at the cafe.

The project will support about 28 youth per year with the hopes at the end they will have the skills and experience needed to get a job. Over the course of five years, more than 100 youth will be trained from the program, many of whom had contact with the youth justice system or at risk of incarceration.

Grocer 4 Good was the main applicant for the grant application from Public Safety Canada, with Algoma Family Services (AFS) and Social Services signed on as partners.

AFS operates the Youth Wellness Hub, which is just one street west of the cafe and about halfway to Grocer 4 Good on Gore Street. 

Ali Juma, CEO of AFS, said involving the youth in programming for the Youth Wellness Hub and initiatives like Cafe 4 Good is key.

"We're creating a system that's designed for them by them, which is something really different and why we're so excited about what we've got going on here," he said.

While some may see Thursday's announcement as $1.14 million to build a cafe, Juma said there's much more to it than that.

"It's really an investment in a system that will better support young people who need it," he said. 

Liberal MP Terry Sheehan said offering meaningful opportunities to at-risk youth is a proven way of reducing crime.

"This gives them an opportunity to get a second chance to get their life back on track," said Sheehan. "It gives them opportunities to get other jobs within the community because they will have that experience. They will have those life skills."

"What happens when the people have no opportunities?" he added. "The paths take them to problem areas and this is to keep people on the right path and good path and contributing to this community."