The Huntingdon Maison des Jeunes will soon be moving to its new home, but not before launching a critical expansion project and major fundraising campaign this spring.
The youth centre was forced to relocate after the Centre de Services Scolaire de la Vallée-des-Tisserands (CSSVT) had it vacate its location at École Arthur-Pigeon in 2024.
Coordinator Nathalie Collin explained that since then, the Maison des Jeunes made five unsuccessful purchase offers on properties, incurring over $12,000 in expenses related to inspections that revealed problems such as mold or leaky roofs. Then, “at just the right moment,” they met with the Faubert family, who were selling their house located just steps away from the high school.
Collin described how the Fauberts lowered their asking price and even left behind furniture. “For them, it was like an extension of their home. It was a legacy for the community, having a youth centre there, and it made perfect sense for us to be there right next to the school,” she said, while highlighting the couple’s generosity and patience. The purchase involved a lengthy process to change the zoning, which was eventually approved by the Huntingdon council and the MRC.
The Maison des Jeunes took possession of the house in October. Currently, the building can accommodate 20 to 30 youth at a time, while the centre regularly sees around 130 students during lunch hour at the school.
The centre is now working on an expansion project to grow its available space from 900 to 3,000 square feet over two floors. The work will include renovations to the façade, the replacement of the garage with a new addition, and the installation of a fence.
To pay for this, Collin confirmed that the Maison des Jeunes will launch a fundraising campaign in mid-April with the goal of raising $800,000. This is on top of a $300,000 grant the organization received from the provincial Secrétariat à la Jeunesse.
The youth centre was one of only three organizations from the Montérégie to receive funding through the most recent call for projects under the Programme d’Aide Financière aux Infrastructures Jeunesse (PAFIJ).
Collin said they hope the 13 municipalities served by the centre will consider contributing to the project, as well as private businesses and citizens.