Murray McKinnon House

The Murray McKinnon House is a residential custodial program located in Oshawa, Ontario providing service to males and those identifying as male in the Durham Region and surrounding areas.

The facility is an eight bed residence providing placement for males/trans males 12-17 years of age at the time of their offence for an open detention or open custody disposition. These young persons are either awaiting a court appearance or serving their open custody disposition as ordered by the Youth Court.

Our goal is to call on the pride and achievements of young people. We strive to help them reach their full potential, successfully reintegrate and become productive members of their community. To this end, the Murray McKinnon House offers evidence based programming designed to meet the diverse needs of the young persons.

Over the years, the agency has forged partnerships and solidified relationships with community partners including Probation Services, local police services and court systems, other regional detention/custody facilities, Durham Family Court Clinic and their Community Support Team. Together we are invested in working collaboratively to proactively prevent and reduce youth involvement in crime.

The programs offered at the Murray McKinnon House are based on a cognitive behavioural approach. Teachable moments are utilized to provide education and support young people during the process of recognizing and changing critical thinking errors. Implicit role modeling will assist young persons in their pro-socialization process. Young persons will be taught in non-violent expressions of emotions and giving voice to those barriers they may have encountered (e.g. economic class ethnicity, exposure to violence).

Young persons residing at the Murray McKinnon House will have opportunity to attend school year round within an on-site Section 23 classroom. The Durham District School Board, specifically Grove School provides a qualified teacher and Murray McKinnon Foundation employs a specialized Youth Worker for the classroom. These two individuals work together to create a unique learning environment consisting of academics, group work and life skills.

Young person’s residing at the Murray McKinnon House serving a custody disposition may have opportunity to attend their community school or participate in a work program. This determination will be made by all concerned parties during the Case Management/Reintegration Plan.

The Murray McKinnon House employs well trained competent professional Youth Workers to provide consistent 24 hour a day supervision to create a safe environment for the young person and the community. The Foundation has a commitment to continuous learning, ensuring that staff retain a high level of professionalism and have access to current information and enhanced training.

We are committed to distinguishing the young person from their actions. We value the worth of all young people.