The Porch Project provides skilled, trauma-informed, relationship-based support for young people, families, caregivers, Children’s Aid Societies, and child-welfare partners.
Built around connection, consistency and the belief that a young person should never be reduced to trauma, behaviour, diagnosis, or system involvement.
Through respite, meaningful programming, mentorship, life-skills development, creative expression, recreation, and community support, The Porch Project gives young people somewhere to go when life feels too heavy to carry alone.
Healing begins with connection. A stronger future begins here.
A community where no young person has to navigate trauma, mental-health struggles, or difficult circumstances alone.
We envision The Porch Project as a bridge between struggle and possibility, connecting young people and families to mental-health supports, relationships, education, employment, recreation, life skills and future opportunities.
Relationships are the foundation for growth and change.
Safe environments that recognize trauma, adversity, unmet needs, trust and healing.
Every young person has the capacity to learn, develop and thrive.
We focus on what young people can do, not only what they struggle with.
Pathways to education, employment, recreation and community.
Support and opportunity should be available regardless of background, income, age or past experience.
Early mentorship and support can help prevent challenges from becoming crises.
Plans are tailored to each young person’s unique goals, strengths and needs.
Neither fully inside nor fully outside: a place to arrive, to pause, to connect and to know there is still somewhere to return.
Shelter and protection without an institutional or restrictive feeling.
A posture of unconditional welcome whether a young person is tired, dysregulated, hopeful or struggling.
Community-based support in real environments and relationships.
Regulation, trust and belonging often require permission to slow down.
The reassurance that a safe, steady relationship can endure.
Skilled support through transitions between placements, home and community, crisis and stability.
Services are individualized, trauma-informed and responsive to the realities of child-welfare involvement. Plans are developed collaboratively and reviewed to stay aligned with case goals and safety requirements.
One-to-one, relationship-based support in the community, home or placement setting, including behavioural support, co-regulation, life skills, routines, emotional regulation and community participation.
Planned short-term and overnight support that gives caregivers reliable relief while providing structured, safe and individualized care to the young person.
Targeted support during placement transitions, reunification, school changes and post-crisis periods, with a focus on reducing disruption and preserving continuity.
Ongoing communication and coordination with Children’s Aid workers, case managers, caregivers and other involved professionals.
Proactive strategies, clear responses and real-time co-regulation designed to reduce escalation and build capacity.
Personal care, organization, meals, community navigation, money management and other foundations for independence.
Support for the predictable structures many young people need in order to feel safe and function well.
Tools and relational practices that support distress tolerance and movement through difficult emotional states.
Recreation, social opportunity and natural community settings that broaden belonging beyond placements or clinical environments.
A known, trusted adult who shows up reliably and does not disappear when the work becomes difficult.
Planned respite can sustain caregiver capacity and help keep placements viable before they reach a breaking point.
Fit is determined collaboratively. Referrals are accepted only where safe, appropriate support can be provided.
Melanie’s professional path combines direct support of people with complex needs, case management and leadership within community-based service environments.
Kyle brings business, organizational leadership and direct support experience, with a focus on building systems and structures that allow services to operate safely and sustainably.
More than 34 years with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, primarily in Schizophrenia Services, with additional long-term experience supporting individuals on the autism and dual-diagnosis spectrum.
Experience spanning business administration, financial operations, construction management and financial services, including HR, payroll, AP/AR, lending and operational oversight.
Information sharing is limited to authorized parties, appropriate consent, legal obligations and professional duty to report.
Accurate, timely, objective and respectful documentation of support, observations, incidents and progress.
Clear boundaries designed to protect the supportive relationship and the well-being of young people and staff.
Ongoing collaborative risk assessment, living safety plans and prompt communication of elevated concerns.
Immediate, transparent reporting through established pathways and compliance with child-protection obligations.
Team members are expected to uphold organizational values, communicate clearly and prioritize safety and dignity.
The Porch Project is designed to complement existing services by filling specific high-need gaps with quality, consistency and collaborative communication.
Targeted support and planned respite when a foster, kinship or residential placement is under pressure.
Children’s Aid workers may refer youth for individualized support and/or planned respite where complexity, strain or service gaps indicate need.
Reliable overnight and short-term respite to help protect the long-term viability of placement relationships.
Consistent community-based support for needs spanning developmental services, mental health, education or justice.
Participation in case conferences, planning meetings and collaborative goal-setting when invited.
Future collaboration in transition support, dual-diagnosis pathways, post-majority planning and other regional service needs.
No generic templates. Plans are built around the specific young person and priorities identified by the referring worker.
Understanding of statutory roles, documentation expectations, duty to report and the pressures of child-protection practice.
Consistency of worker assignment is protected as a clinical priority.
Significant risk is never managed in isolation from the referring agency.
Scheduling, intensity and focus areas adapt to real needs rather than rigid program structures.
Warmth and heart paired with clear boundaries and accountability.
Services explicitly aim to reduce placement breakdown risk and sustain caregiver capacity.
Selective about fit, not difficulty, including dual diagnoses, behavioural needs and trauma presentations.
The process is designed to be clear, respectful of Children’s Aid workers’ time and focused on genuine fit before commitment.
A Children’s Aid worker or authorized designate contacts The Porch Project with a brief overview of needs, placement context and the type of support being sought.
A focused conversation covers presentation, history, risk, caregiver capacity, current services and the outcomes the worker hopes to achieve.
With appropriate consent, relevant background, case-plan elements, risk information, medication details and goals are shared.
An individualized support and/or respite plan is developed with roles, safety requirements, communication protocols and review points made explicit.
Support begins with clear documentation, agreed reporting pathways and scheduled check-ins with the referring worker.
A threshold of safety. A space of connection. A steady invitation to come as you are and know that you are still welcome.
The Porch Project is ready to partner with Children’s Aid Societies and child-welfare professionals committed to careful, skilled, relational work that supports young people and gives caregivers the relief they need to keep going.