Rupi and Les have been close friends for nearly 18 years. They first met when Rupi was a social worker, and Les brought in a youth who needed support to live independently.

Les’ childhood was traumatic. He often shares his experience of being abused by his father and witnessing his mother’s struggle with addiction. At 10 years old, he became a street kid, stealing to feed himself and his siblings, and was exposed to sexual violence and sexual abuse. Eventually, Les was placed into care, where he was supported by a youth worker, social worker, and police officer who genuinely cared for him. Despite falling into criminal activities, Les reflects, “They never gave up on me, no matter what I did… I didn’t feel like a number.”

Years later, while working, Les came across a folder, "safe house meeting minutes," that had been sitting in the dust for 10 years. Inspired by it, he decided he wanted to replicate the support he had received. This led to the creation of the Cyrus Centre, and Les now shares the story of how it all came to be.... over 1000 youth have entered the doors of Cyrus Centre.  Not all of them were success stories, there have been many tragedies.

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