Our team looks forward to another year of collaboration with one of our longest-standing place-based partners, AYA Youth Collective. As we continue this partnership, we’re reflecting on where our relationship began and how it has evolved over time.

Our formal partnership started in the fall of 2019 through the Comprehensive Health Initiative, a collaboration between AYA Youth Collective, GVSU Family Health Center, Wisdom Center, and Health Net of West Michigan. This initiative was designed to address the complex health and wellness needs of youth in crisis through an innovative, relational, and community-based approach.

Over the years, our partnership with AYA and the other organizations has continued to deepen. Working side by side with other care providers allows for immediate, coordinated support and easier access for clients to connect with the care, stability, and guidance they need to achieve their goals and shape the future they envision.

For example, if a community member shares health concerns while we’re assisting them with Medicaid coverage, we can connect them directly with on-site medical staff. These real-time connections make a world of difference for both the young people we serve and the partners who serve alongside us.

We are proud to collaborate with the following organizations while our team is at AYA:

• Arbor Circle
• Catherine’s Health Center
• Covenant High School, Grand Rapids
• Friend of the Court
• Goodwill
• Grace’s Table
• GRPS McKinney Vento
• GVSU LEOC
• HOAP – Helping Our Adolescents Prosper
• Kendra Ippel Consulting
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
• OS Reentry Services
• Puertas Abiertas
• Riverside Guitar School
• Safe Haven Ministries
• Steepletown Neighborhood Services
• The Grand Rapids Red Project
• The PLAYGROUNDgr
• The Salvation Army – Pathway of Hope
• The Source
• Wedgewood Christian Services