Erie County announced this week its aim to address youth mental health by providing five area organizations $30,000 to build sensory rooms open to the community.
The 2022-2023 National Survey of Children's Health showed that a quarter of children in New York ages 3 to 17 have some type of mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral concern. These sensory rooms can provide a calming, healing space to a child.
Erie County Office of Health Equity Director Kelly Marie Wofford said many children can benefit from having a space to relax and regulate.
“Every child is different, but the sensory room provides children and youth with that opportunity to kind of step out of the day-to-day life of whatever's happening outside in that space and provide comfort, security, and a place to self-regulate,” Wofford told BTPM News.
Sensory rooms provide a modifiable environment that can meet the needs of someone feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or emotionally dysregulated. They often include controllable lighting, optional relaxing sounds, tactile objects and comfortable seating to help someone relax.
The funding for the grants was provided by New York State through the Community Accessibility and Inclusion project and will go to Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, Just for Kids School Age Programs, Harvest House Buffalo, Urban Christian Ministries and the Lackawanna City School District.
The organizations and school district are expected to open the rooms by January 2027 and maintain them for at least two years. Wofford said these locations have committed to making these spaces open to the public.
“When the building is open, those rooms are available to community members to use, again, regardless of their affiliation with that organization,” Wofford said. “That was critical for us to ensure that all children and youth with special healthcare needs, if they are in need of the sensory room, they have these five locations to go to.”
Wofford said they hope this encourages more organizations to see the benefits of sensory rooms and open their own. She says a sensory room doesn’t have to be a $30,000 project — you can start small, with what you have or what you can provide. However, what they’ve learned through this process is that anyone interested in funding or building a sensory room just needs to listen to what the community needs.
“Giving an organization that autonomy to create what they need for their youth, I think, is a priority,” Wofford said. “If there is an organization that is close to someone's heart — a community center, a church, a religious organization or building — reach out to them. You don't have to wait for them to come to you.”
