History
In October 1969, not long after the birth of the cultural icon known as “Woodstock”, a small group of local Sheridan College students initiated RAP, a community based drop-in service for young people suffering adverse effects from the non-medical use of drugs. The service included 24 hour crisis intervention and drug education.
Following its incorporation as a non-profit charitable organization in January 1971, RAP became Rapport House and broadened its services to include brief accommodation, counselling, parent-child mediation, and linkages with dental, medical, and legal practitioners. Financial support from The United Way of Peel began in the early 1970’s and has continued up to the present.
In the late 1980’s the provincial Ministry of Community and Social Services began providing funding support for new and expanded services at Rapport, thereby enabling the agency to reach out to a broader client base.
In 1990, Rapport House changed its name to Rapport Youth and Family Counselling of Peel Inc. to more accurately reflect its mandate and scope of services. Program expansion saw Rapport increase its service capacity to over 1,000 youth and families in Peel each year, assisting them toward a more productive and healthy approach to living.
In 2001, following a lengthy strategic planning process, Rapport changed its corporate name, again to more accurately reflect the philosophy, services, and direction of the organization. With its diverse programming, Rapport Youth and Family Services provides a variety of counselling and related support services to over 1,500 youth annually.
In 2011 Rapport grew again, expanding it’s renowned youth and family counselling program through increased funding for children’s mental health from MCYS. Also that year Rapport moved it’s ECLYPSE Youth Centre to a new location in the Centre for Families as well as opening a second youth centre serving Central Brampton.
In 2012 Rapport partnered with PCC and AYSP to open the first walk-in counselling service for children and youth in Peel – Tangerine Walk-In Counselling.
In 2013 Rapport continued to grow and deliver services in more places and innovative ways. ECLYPSE has added three new after-school sites, expanding its brand into Mississauga. Dunrankin, Marvin Heights and Ridgewood are three Malton area schools that have three day -a- week, provincially funded after-school programs. Like all of Rapport and ECLYPSE services – completely free to children and families. ECLYPSE Central Brampton expanded to twice its original size and re-launched in October of 2013. The six ECLYPSE branded programs now have over 6,000 visits annually.
Rapport expanded its commitment to youth engagement by expanding into youth employment programs in 2017-2018 and again in 2019-20 providing in-class and paid work placement experience to youth who had faced barriers to employment. Rapport is anticipating an expansion of these Malton based youth employment programs in 2020-21.
Significant milestones were achieved in 2017, in the successful completion of Accreditation with the Canadian Centre for Accreditation and developing our latest Strategic Plan in 2018. In 2019 we celebrated our 50th anniversary in grand style at Mississauga Secondary School with family fun and an expanded Youth Talent Showcase.
In 2019 Rapport announced the realignment of services with Peel Children’s Centre and Nexus Youth Centre and was successfully implemented by April 1st 2020.