Neighbour shares ‘emotionally taxing’ saga of living next to 360kids' Richmond Hill Hub

After seven years documenting incidents occurring outside his door, resident prepares for major change

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 25, 2023
Melissa Wallace

Eric Wolf peers over the ledge of a shared balcony at Genesis Place apartments in Richmond Hill, his home for the past 22 years, where he can see the goings-on outside the nearby 360kids organization.

In 2016, the York Region non-profit opened its Richmond Hill Hub near Yonge Street and Crosby Avenue, offering various programs and services to help at-risk youth with housing, education, health and employment.

For those living outside the neighbourhood, 360kids -- founded in 1989 -- is known for good work, providing much-needed food, shelter and support.

But for many of those living in the neighbourhood, it’s a different story.

In April 2019, Wolf and 42 others filed a lawsuit with Richmond Hill Small Claims Court against 360kids, Housing York Inc. (HYI) and the Regional Municipality of York (the Region) over alleged nuisance, noise, trespassing and negligence, a case that is still ongoing. HYI is the Region’s housing corporation that owns and manages the Richmond Hill Hub facility where 360kids operates some of its programs. Youth services are provided by 360kids under a service agreement with the Region’s Social Services Branch.

A lawyer for 360kids sent Wolf several demand letters before filing a counterclaim for $25,000 in damages for filming and posting video footage online of their attendees, some of which appears to mock youth or capture sensitive matters, but Wolf said he is within his rights to show “the reality of the Hub.”

But in June 2023, Wolf reached out to YorkRegion.com to share a positive way forward, a plan to address Richmond Hill council with an impassioned speech about an initiative he calls the Crosby Area Restoration Effort (C.A.R.E.).

The idea behind C.A.R.E. would be to link representatives from neighbouring residences, 360kids and their partners to regularly discuss issues, find tangible solutions to ensure everyone’s voice is heard and build a relationship so help would only be a call away.

A week or two prior to meeting with YorkRegion.com, he caught a glimpse of what peace could look like. A few of the 360kids youth met with Wolf outside, where both parties shared their perspectives.

“For two hours, we were listening to their stories and they were listening to ours,” he said. “We have solvable problems; it just needs effort and the belief that it can actually happen.

“After talking to them, I get it. I was in their shoes 30 years ago. Many of us were all troubled youth in some way.”

He said he hoped his address to council would help the public empathize with residents who have endured what they describe as years of frequent noise and unmonitored young adults, and hopefully support their need for change.

“I'd love a headline to read, ‘Genesis Place makes peace with the Hub,’ and it's possible that we can get there, but we can't do it alone.”

Wolf never delivered that speech to council. In July, Wolf said, a composite, made of stone, concrete and asphalt, was thrown through his glass window. He alleges two youth were involved -- whom he claims appeared to be intoxicated and had trespassed onto the Genesis Place property from 360kids. The attack felt personal, he said, shattering not only his window, but any hopes for future reconciliation.

He said that as he picked up shards from his apartment floor, carefully removed embedded glass pieces from his dog and tended to his two cats that had cut their paws on glass, he decided he was done.

“It’s emotionally taxing,” he told YorkRegion.com. “You can't stay, you don't want to leave and no one will help you implement” what he said he believes to be “very simple, very practical solutions.”

Those solutions, he said, could include having staff supervise attendees at all hours to make sure they aren’t creating a nuisance outside “and 90 per cent of the problem would be solved,” he said. “It’s the distancing and the community secrecy that somehow needs to be shattered.” Wolf reported the incident to York Regional Police but had not informed 360Kids and the Region at the time of publishing.

In response to questions from YorkRegion.com about 360kids’ relationship with Genesis Place, the Region said in a statement that the matter was currently before the court and they couldn’t comment on the case.

Wolf and his girlfriend of almost 11 years have since filed a transfer request to move to another building in another town, as they no longer feel safe and say they will finish the original lawsuit from elsewhere.