Portage’s\u00a0Atlantic\u00a0Moncton\u00a0Community Care\u00a0Program\u00a0celebrates\u00a0its first\u00a0anniversary\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moncton,\u00a0New\u00a0Brunswick,\u00a0July 28,\u00a02026\u00a0–\u00a0One year after its launch, Portage’s\u00a0Atlantic\u00a0Moncton Community Care Program<\/a> continues to support youth and families through prevention, early\u00a0intervention\u00a0and family-focused services. As substance use and overdose-related issues\u00a0remain\u00a0a growing concern in Greater Moncton,\u00a0the program highlights the importance of proactive, community-based\u00a0efforts\u00a0designed to provide youth and their families with meaningful, tailored support that meets their needs before challenges escalate into crises. \u00a0<\/p>\n Since its launch, the program has supported youth and families through individual counselling sessions, parent support groups,\u00a0presentations\u00a0and outreach activities delivered in schools and community settings. In its first year alone, the program conducted 117 individual meetings, welcomed 115 parent support group participants, delivered 57\u00a0presentations\u00a0and responded to 47 inquiries from youth seeking information and support.\u00a0<\/p>\n “When a youth\u00a0says, ‘I need help because\u00a0I’m\u00a0scared. I\u00a0don’t\u00a0want this life anymore,’ every moment counts,” said Lisa Portelli, Centre Director at Portage Atlantic<\/a>. “By meeting youth where they are and offering immediate, compassionate support, our counsellors can turn a moment of\u00a0fear and\u00a0uncertainty\u00a0into an opportunity for recovery. Many of our team members bring lived experience\u00a0and can genuinely relate to the challenges youth face,\u00a0allowing them to build trust and\u00a0form meaningful connections with youth.\u00a0Together with our partners, we are helping young people and\u00a0their\u00a0families move beyond fear toward hope,\u00a0healing\u00a0and lasting change.”\u00a0<\/p>\n A key factor in the program’s success has been its collaborative approach. Throughout the year, Portage developed strong relationships with schools, community\u00a0organizations\u00a0and local service providers, helping create a coordinated response to youth\u00a0substance use and\u00a0mental health concerns. These partnerships have expanded access to support and strengthened referral pathways for youth and families. Together, the team and its community partners have fostered a safe, non-judgmental environment where\u00a0young people\u00a0and\u00a0their\u00a0families feel supported, heard and empowered to seek help.\u00a0<\/p>\n “As a parent, there\u00a0is no greater relief than seeing your child rediscover hope and direction. Portage supported our family when we felt overwhelmed and unsure where to turn. Their caring, non-judgmental approach made all the difference, helping my son regain stability and confidence while reminding us that recovery is possible”,\u00a0said Nadine\u00a0Leger,\u00a0mother of a youth\u00a0who\u00a0participated\u00a0in Portage\u00a0Atlantic’s Moncton Community Care Program.\u00a0<\/p>\n For some youth, the Moncton Community Care Program also serves as a gateway to\u00a0additional\u00a0services when needed. Developed in response to a need identified among youth who often felt unprepared and uncertain about what to expect from treatment, the program provides information, guidance and individualized support to help them and their families navigate the next steps in their recovery journey, including admission to Portage’s residential treatment program at Cassidy Lake. This early connection helps ease anxiety, build\u00a0trust\u00a0and ensure a smoother transition into treatment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n As substance use and mental health challenges continue to affect communities across the region, Portage\u00a0remains\u00a0committed to providing accessible, prevention-focused support\u00a0and ensuring\u00a0that\u00a0youth and families\u00a0receive\u00a0help before challenges become crises.\u00a0<\/p>\n The first anniversary also\u00a0provides\u00a0an opportunity to recognize and thank\u00a0the\u00a0Sharps of Sussex Mayflower Foundation,\u00a0The Windsor Foundation, Ecclesiastical\u00a0Insurance,\u00a0Atlantic Lottery\u00a0and the Lockhart\u00a0Foundation,\u00a0whose\u00a0support has helped make\u00a0the program’s success possible. Their collaboration continues to strengthen youth wellness and recovery throughout Greater Moncton.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n About Portage Atlantic\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n For 30 years, Portage Atlantic has\u00a0operated\u00a0a\u00a0bilingual\u00a0live-in treatment program\u00a0in Cassidy Lake,\u00a0New Brunswick,<\/b>\u00a0for youth aged 14 to 21.\u00a0Grounded in the therapeutic community approach, the program emphasizes\u00a0positive\u00a0peer role\u00a0models\u00a0and helps youth build self-esteem\u00a0and\u00a0resilience.\u00a0\u00a0Portage Atlantic\u00a0is accredited by Accreditation Canada,\u00a0reflecting\u00a0its\u00a0commitment\u00a0to delivering\u00a0high-quality\u00a0evidence-informed care.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n For the past year, the Moncton Community Care Program has provided free,\u00a0confidential\u00a0and non-judgmental intervention,\u00a0support\u00a0and referral services to youth aged 14 to 21 and their families. No referrals are\u00a0required.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nPhone: 506-383-7328 For more information<\/b>:\u00a0www.portage.ca<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n -30-\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Media Contact\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nCarol Tracey<\/b> Share this article:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Facebook\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShare on Linkedin\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Portage’s\u00a0Atlantic\u00a0Moncton\u00a0Community Care\u00a0Program\u00a0celebrates\u00a0its first\u00a0anniversary\u00a0\u00a0 Moncton,\u00a0New\u00a0Brunswick,\u00a0July 28,\u00a02026\u00a0–\u00a0One year after its launch, Portage’s\u00a0Atlantic\u00a0Moncton Community Care Program continues to support youth and families through prevention, early\u00a0intervention\u00a0and family-focused services. As substance use and overdose-related issues\u00a0remain\u00a0a growing concern in Greater Moncton,\u00a0the program highlights the importance of proactive, community-based\u00a0efforts\u00a0designed to provide youth and their families with meaningful, tailored support that meets their… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":49161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[374],"class_list":["post-49165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-releases","tag-moncton-2"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49165"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49302,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49165\/revisions\/49302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nEmail:\u00a0pamoncton@portage.ca<\/a>
\nLearn more:\u00a0https:\/\/portage.ca\/en\/atlantic\/moncton-community-care-program\/<\/a>\u00a0\n
\nDirector of Corporate Development
\nPortage Atlantic\u00a0(Fredericton)
\n506-472-4847
\nctracey@portage.ca<\/a>\u00a0\nM\u00e9lissa Cabana<\/b>
\nDirector of Communications
\nPortage\u00a0(Montr\u00e9al)
\n514-799-8985
\nmcabana@portage.ca<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\n\tOne year after its launch, the Moncton Community Care Program has already had a positive impact on young people and families throughout Greater Moncton. Learn more about the program’s first year, including key milestones, results and community impact, in our feature article, One Year of Support and Hope in Greater Moncton<\/em>.<\/strong><\/a>\n\n\t\t\tMore on the Moncton Community Care Program\t<\/h3>\n\t