Where It All Began
In late 1988, a woman named Kate Millar-Young noticed that there were a lot of young people living on the streets of downtown Kitchener. With the help of others in the community, Kate began working with youth who were experiencing homelessness. In 1989, a friend donated office space to Kate, and ROOF (Reaching Our Outdoor Friends) was officially born. Many years (and a name change) later, here we are!
Explore this page to see how far we’ve come…
The History of oneROOF Youth Services
oneROOF Youth Services has been serving the youth of Waterloo Region for over 30 years...
It all began in 1988 when Kitchener resident, Kate Millar-Young saw a need and took action. From the back of her car, she distributed food, water, blankets and other essential items to young people experiencing homelessness in her area. It wasn’t long until word spread and numbers increased. Young people in need came from across the region to see Kate, and other good samaritans joined her efforts. Within a year Kate had secured an office space through the generosity of a kind friend, and ROOF (Reaching Our Outdoor Friends) was officially born.
Later in 1990, ROOF moved into a facility at Duke and College Street. While at this location, ROOF began to define a set of values and principles that would become the foundation of the present-day agency. In 1991, ROOF moved into 43 Cedar St. N., in Kitchener. During this time, ROOF increased its services to seven days per week, added a connective outreach and food hamper program, created more comprehensive volunteer training, and introduced trained counsellors to its team. On March 1, 1996, ROOF began its partnership with the Betty Thompson Youth Centre, which increased its capacity to provide service to high-risk youth.
Through the generous support of a private donor, 1999 brought great growth. ROOF purchased a new facility at 242 Queen Street South, Kitchener and began to curate community partnerships. This new facility allowed the space for an on-site partnership with Public Health Nurses. In addition, the building afforded space for extended hours of service and more diverse group activities. It was here that many successful programs were developed that are still in use to this day.
“Without their help, I would have been lost with no place to go. They got me back on my feet and headed in the right direction.”
— Anonymous
On December 28th 2005, ROOF’s beloved building at 242 Queen Street South, suffered a devastating fire. The loss resulted in the temporary closure of the location and halting of services. Fortunately, through our continued partnership with the Betty Thompson Youth Centre, we were able to continue providing basic essential services within a few days. Working closely with the City of Kitchener, we were able to quickly find what was thought to be a more suitable location and on January 17th, 2006, ROOF officially opened its temporary quarters at the KOR Gallery, located at 79 Joseph Street. During this time, various options for ROOF’s 242 Queen Street location were being explored. Unfortunately, the KOR Gallery proved to be more temporary than anyone anticipated, as coal tar contamination made it necessary for ROOF to move yet again. As of April 2006, ROOF’s staff offices were temporarily housed in the Betty Thompson Youth Centre, while drop-in services were run out of Trinity United Church.
After this arduous time in oneROOF’s history, the arrival of a new Executive Director, Sandy Dietrich-Bell, in June 2006, offered a renewed sense of energy and motivation to move forward. This rebirth brought many points of growth for ROOF, including a return to 242 Queen Street South where a brand new building was erected in January 2008. This was all thanks to the generosity of our community, who in just a few short years helped ROOF come back, bigger and better than ever before!
"I want to encourage you to count your blessings every day. Share your wisdom, your gifts and your brilliance with the world; and enter this new era with a strengthened resolve to be part of the solution."
— Sandy Dietrich-Bell (CEO OF ONEROOF YOUTH SERVICES)
In this new space, the agency went on to thrive in its goal to serve the youth of Waterloo Region. During its first years of existence, ROOF provided services to approximately ninety young people. The numbers continued to increase and as our services grew, more and more young people utilized them. By 2013, ROOF was serving approximately 800 youth a year. The demand for services has continued to grow, not only in numbers but also in need. The issues young people face have become much more complex, with many battling overlapping hardships.
In order to meet the ever-changing and ever-growing need, ROOF continued to grow as well. The implementation of programs such as the Lunchbox and Street Designs program helped youth develop vocational skills, making them more employable and confident. At the same time, ROOF continued to provide for the essential needs of youth with regular programs, such as Outreach and LifeLine. The once small shelter, grew to host eighteen beds and serve over seventy meals a day.
With ROOF’s growth, came change. Under the leadership of (now Chief Executive Officer) Sandy Dietrich-Bell, ROOF rebranded itself as oneROOF Youth Services and even more innovative programs were launched! All the while, a long-standing dream of creating a youth-specific service hub was underway…
"There is so much here in this existing facility that we have had to either cancel or put on hold because we simply don't have the room… We need space to dream bigger and offer more services”
— Sandy Dietrich-Bell (CEO OF ONEROOF YOUTH SERVICES)
After years of preparation, oneROOF Youth Services announced plans for a major expansion, which began with a move to the King Street and Sheldon Avenue area in 2019. Upon relocating, this new property was home to two buildings and a tremendous amount of potential. Through the generosity of a philanthropic donor and the support of the City of Kitchener, we were able to purchase a neighbouring home; making the now three-building property the perfect setting for the immense growth in oneROOF’s near future.
In partnership with John MacDonald Architecture & Ball Construction, oneROOF Youth Services began to further expand the campus at Sheldon Ave and King Street in 2020, with the construction of a Supportive Housing Building. The launch of the Next Steps Program followed shortly after and 44 youth found home after the build's completion in the summer of 2022. A true turning point in our history — oneROOF Youth Services is now able to house youth experiencing homelessness, rather than simply provide shelter.
oneROOF Youth Services began with one woman, striving to make a difference in her community. Today we are a vast organization providing:
daily shelter, services, programming and outreach,
fully supported on-site housing for up to 44 individuals,
an internationally recognized best practice shelter prevention program,
family reconnection services, addiction counselling, and mental and physical health supports,
a thriving employment and education program with multiple on-site youth enterprise opportunities
For years we dreamed of an all-encompassing, youth-specific space where we could go beyond providing immediate care. Somewhere that young people can not only be fed, clothed and sheltered, but also educated, employed, counselled, and housed. Though we have accomplished many of our greatest goals, oneROOF’s history is still being written and the largest battles are still ahead. So long as youth homelessness exists, we will continue our fight, because…