Youth restorative justice program in Sudbury in jeopardy of closing

Ozzy's Garage helps young people at-risk in Sudbury. Founder Rick ‘Ozzy’ Osborne, a formerly incarcerated biker, uses his past to mentor teens.

Rebuilding a motorcycle is a lot like rebuilding a life.

At least that’s the way Rick ‘Ozzy’ Osborne connects to the youth he and his wife, Heather Osborne, mentor.

Ozzy’s Garage Sudbury is a youth restorative program in Greater Sudbury run by the Osbornes for youth ages 13 to 19. They work one-on-one or with small groups from the program’s permanent site on Larch Street.

“I see myself in the kids I work with and I see my professor and my dad -- the men in my life in me -- as I’m doing this,” Osborne said.

Osborne uses his own life as an example of restoration, having been incarcerated, addicted to drugs and part of biker gangs.

Calling himself “a damaged guy,” he said he’s turned his life around and has been working to give back to others ever since.

“I’m an anomaly -- guys like me usually don’t exist outside of God’s grace,” he said.

“Youth (for whom) life isn’t working for them -- they’re getting suspended from school or just struggling to attend school,” Heather said, when describing who the program helps.

Uses his own experiences

“Youth who have tried a lot and they have difficult backgrounds that have made it difficult for them to stabilize in their teenage years.”

Along with his knowledge of motorcycles, Osborne said he draws on his own experiences to gain trust and provide mentorship.

“I can give you the names of the people who all of a sudden, cared about me, when it made no sense,” he said.

“I was acting out and they said, ‘I see something in this guy I’m going to run with him.’ And so, I’m now that. We’re now, that.”

Heather provides help with emotional and social skills for youth who’ve never learned those skills.

“In some ways, it feels like we’re just getting started because it took a long time to build relationships with all of the other agencies that work with youth, because this is not a silo,” she said.

In need of funding

“We can’t work with youth in silos.”

A big champion for the program is Sudbury District Restorative Justice (SDRJ), a non-profit that provides services and support for youth in conflict with the law.

SDRJ identifies and refers youth to Ozzy’s Garage. The organization is now helping the Osbornes find the money to keep the program operating.

Last week, Osborne and SDRJ executive director Jackie Balleny were before the Greater Sudbury Police Services Board seeking funding.

“By the time a young person becomes a repeat offender, we have already missed several opportunities to change their path,” Balleny told the board.

“Ozzy’s Garage exists to intervene before that happens … Every youth we redirect away from deeper criminal involvement represents not only a life changed, but significant savings to policing,
courts and corrections.”

The police board agreed to give Ozzy’s Garage $5,000 from the chief’s youth initiative fund.

The Osbornes said money from the federal Safer Communities Fund is due to run out at the end of June. The program’s future is uncertain after that.

“Yes, you spend money working on a program like this but guess how much it costs to keep somebody in the penitentiary or in the jail system,” Osborne said.

“Six figures a year. Whereas this is a small way to catch guys … I could sit here for a while and give all these success stories of boys that have come into this and now have a different trajectory.”

“We see the value in staying and continuing it further and for a year after that,” Heather added.

Osborne estimated he’s helped hundreds of young people since he started mentoring 24 years ago.

“We want them to have a nice life and so that’s the end goal … that they function not living reactively, but living proactively,” he said.

“We just want to give the opportunity to say, ‘you matter and you can have that wonderful life and live intentionally for your own goals and dreams,’” Heather said.

The Osbornes live in Port Colbourne but spend part of their time in Sudbury when they’re operating Ozzy’s Garage.

They credit Canadian Shield Health Care Services for bringing them to Sudbury in 2010, flagging the community as having potential for mentorship efforts.

Donations to Ozzy’s Garage Sudbury can be made through the charity ‘Truth For Teens,’ which the Osbornes operate.