New Foundry centre locations announced!

On March 4, 2024, the Province of BC announced ten new Foundry centre locations will be joining the Foundry network!   

We will be working with the following ten communities and lead agencies to bring integrated mental health, substance use, physical & sexual health care, youth and family peer supports, and social services to their communities: 

  • Burnaby—BC Centre for Ability   
  • Chilliwack—Fraser Health 
  • Nanaimo—Snuneymux First Nation & Kw’umut Lelum   
  • Port Alberni—Alberni Drug & Alcohol Prevention Service (ADAPS)  
  • Quesnel—YMCA BC  
  • Sooke-West Shore—Thrive Social Services  
  • South Surrey—Sources Community Services & Alex House  
  • Vancouver —Vancouver Coastal Health  
  • Vanderhoof—Carrier Sekani Family Services  
  • West Kootenay—Kootenay Boundary Community Services Co–op 

 These communities join Vernon and Foundry qathet (Powell River), who were announced in 2023. This Foundry expansion is part of the 2023/2024 Ministry of Mental Health & Addictions (MMHA) budget announcement. All young people and their caregivers across BC should have equitable access to integrated health and social services, and this expansion brings us closer to that goal. 

View a recording of the expansion announcement and read the press release here. 

Questions? Email expansion@foundrybc.ca 

 

Land Acknowledgement

At Foundry BC, our provincial work extends across lands built on a complex history of colonization. These lands are home to many First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples today. Indigenous people’s histories, knowledges and ways of being are diverse and unique to every community Foundry has a presence in.  

We recognize and respect Coast Salish Peoples as traditional stewards of the stolen, occupied, and ancestral lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-waututh), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Stz’uminus Nations and the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group that our central office is located on. 

The Expansion Process

This phase of Foundry’s expansion builds upon previous selection processes. The Foundry expansion team undertook a multi-phase, confidential, application and review process, which included an initial review of each application, subject matter expert review, conversations with stakeholders, and a panel review involving Foundry staff, youth and family advisors, and partners. 

Foundry’s approach to selection is a community-based process that emphasizes organizational and community alignment with Foundry values and service model, as well as readiness, with respect to organizational and partnership capacity.  

 

Resources

From our experience working with communities to open Foundry centres, we have learned that strong champions and partnerships are the key to success in this model. The following resources; the Community Development handbook and Integrated Youth Service (IYS) Brief were created in collaboration with the Foundry centres, and provide insights and learnings about the Integrated Youth Service (IYS) model.

Community Development Workbook

add

Foundry’s Community Development Workbook is intended to support anyone who is a leader in youth services — whether non‑profit, health, wellness, social services or government — who is interested in building stronger partnerships to improve care for youth in their communities. By sharing our experiences and offering processes, templates and reflective questions, we hope to inspire and guide you as you work towards a more integrated system of care for youth.

Templates and Resources – the tools and resources mentioned at the end of each section of the Community Development Workbook are provided here for you to reference and adapt for your community.

Foundry Community Development Workbook (French)

Template: Planning Committee Membership

Template: Planning Committee Terms of Reference 

Template: Environmental Scan

Template: Mapping Youth Spaces

Template: Community Partnership Agreement

Foundry’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

Foundry’s Indigenous Wellness Framework

Supporting Youth and Families on Leadership Tables

Foundry's Integrated Youth Service (IYS) Model

add

Since our beginning in 2015, Foundry has become a leader in the Integrated Youth Services (IYS) sector in Canada. As interest in IYS increases — largely in response to the fragmentation and ongoing challenges in the youth and young adult health sector — more and more people are wanting to understand Foundry’s model.

We developed resources to support a greater understanding of Foundry’s model of care as well encourage the ongoing learning and development of the IYS sector in British Columbia and across Canada.  

Don't have a Foundry centre in your community?
Youth and families can access Foundry services virtually through our provincial virtual services.

Foundry BC Virtual

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are Foundry centres located? What services can you access at Foundry?

add
  • There are currently 16 Foundry centres open throughout the province. To locate your nearest Foundry cenre, visit /find-a-centre.
  • Foundry provides the following services to young people ages 12 to 24:
    • Mental health and substance use supports;  
    • Physical and sexual health care;   
    • Drop-in counselling;    
    • Youth peer support;   
    • Social services including employment and education supports.  
  • In addition, Foundry offers supports for families/caregivers of a young person, including peer support, navigation, support and education groups, and family counselling and therapy. 

How can young people in communities without a Foundry centre access Foundry services?

add
  • Foundry’s provincial virtual services offer free and confidential counselling, youth & family peer support and physical & sexual healthcare for BC youth between the ages of 12-24 and their families/caregivers.  
  • Services can be accessed through same day support Monday-Friday between 10am-9:00pm, or scheduled appointment in advance, 7 days/week.   
  • To access services today or book an appointment, download the Foundry BC app, call 1-833-308-6379 or email online@foundrybc.ca. For those without a smart phone, these services can also be accessed through our desktop web portal.  
  • Visit foundrybc.ca/virtual to learn more.

How were these Foundry centres selected?

add
  • In September 2023, Foundry launched an application process for communities to express their interest in joining the Foundry network. This included hosting required information sessions for communities to better understand the Foundry model, centre development process and consideration around selection. These sessions were intended to support communities in completing well rounded and knowledgeable submissions.    
  • All submitted applications were first subject to an initial viability review by Foundry Central Office (FCO) to ensure completeness and eligibility. From there, a range of core partner conversations were held to discuss priority communities within health region, experience with lead agency, and resourcing considerations.  
  • In addition, subject matter experts (SMEs) conducted a further detailed review of all eligible applications around organizational readiness of the lead agency and proposed partnerships.    
  • These reviews supported the final panel review of applications, conducted with youth and family/caregiver advisors, Foundry Network and FCO staff to provide final recommendations. 

How long will it take to open these Foundry centres?

add
  • The time it takes for Foundry centres to open will vary by community as some need to identify sites, secure building permits, and hire and train staff. 
  • Lead agencies and communities will begin working immediately, engaging with partners, stakeholders, and residents.  
  • We will provide updates on the new centres as we reach key milestones. 

How do I get a Foundry centre in my community?

add
  • All young people and their caregivers across BC should have equitable access to integrated health and social services, and this expansion brings us closer to that goal. However, we know there are so many more communities and youth in BC who need support. We do not have funding for additional Foundry centres, but are committed to working with communities across BC to transform access to support. 
  • If you are a community, organization or community leader who is interested in implementing the integrated youth service model to your community, we encourage you to review our Community Development handbook (linked in ‘Resources’ above) and connect with our community development team by emailing expansion@foundrybc.ca. 

Do young people and their families/caregivers need a referral to access Foundry services?

add
  • At Foundry, we aim to remove barriers for young people to access the support they need. All services at Foundry are free of charge and information kept confidential. 
  • BC youth aged 12-24, and their families, are welcome at Foundry – no appointment is necessary and young people can self-refer to a Foundry centre or Foundry’s provincial virtual service. 

What funding is available to Foundry?

add
  • Budget 2023 invested $74.9 million over three years to improve Foundry programs and expand the number of centres around the province. The Province will provide annual funding for operations and services, as well as one-time funding of $1.5 million to establish each newly announced Foundry centre, increased operating support to deliver services at existing centres, and enhancements to the Foundry BC App.  
  • The annual funding provided to Foundry is not enough to operate a centre. The Foundry service model relies upon the contribution of existing resources provided by the lead agency and its partners. These existing services and resources are integrated into the full service Foundry model. 

foundry is expanding, expansion, foundry bc, foundry, teen mental health

Previous Expansion Processes and Announcements

2022 Expansion

add
    • Fort St. John – Fort St. John Friendship Society 
    • Tri-Cities – Share Family and Community Services Society (Share) 
    • Kamloops – Interior Community Services 
    • Sunshine Coast – Sunshine Coast Community Services 

This phase of Foundry’s growth was built upon its thorough 2019-2020 EOI and Convening process, which started with an open call to all communities across BC. Forty communities responded to our EOI, of which 19 were shortlisted and eight selected.

There were many strong applications that did not move forward at that time. Knowing this, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on communities and front-line employees, we are reviewing the evaluations from our 2019-2020 process to help identify the next four communities.

More information about the 2019-2020 EOI and Convening progress can be found in the “2020 Expansion” expander below. 

 

When will these four new Foundry centres be open and operational?

On average, it takes up to two years to open a Foundry centre, though this can vary especially in recent years, with supply chain challenges. This time is spent engaging with youth, families and partners in planning, as well as finding and establishing the physical space. The greatest variable impacting how long it takes to open a Foundry centre is securing the location, which proves challenging in some communities. 

How were these communities selected?

The fourth phase of Foundry’s growth was built upon its thorough 2019-2020 EOI and Convening process, which started with an open call to all communities across BC. Forty communities responded to our EOI, of which 19 were shortlisted and eight selected. At that time, there were many strong applications that did not move forward. Knowing this, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on communities and front-line employees, evaluations from our 2019-2020 process helped to identify the four communities in this phase of expansion.   

What funding will be provided to each new Foundry location?

These Phase 4 communties will receive a $1,000,000 in one-time grant for centre establishment, and annual operations funding. Lead agencies will also run local fundraising campaigns to complete the one-time establishment costs of centres, add innovative programming, or meet other needs.   

The annual funding provided by Foundry is not enough to operate a centre. The Foundry service model relies upon the contribution of existing resources provided by the lead agency and its partners. These existing services and resources are integrated into the full service Foundry model. These contributions are significant – in urban settings, the value of these contributions ranges from $1M-2.5M. 

Who will be operating the additional four Foundry centres?

The new Foundry centres will be opened and operated by local, community-based lead agencies: 

  • Fort St. John – Fort St. John Friendship Society 
  • Tri-Cities – Share Family and Community Services Society (Share) 
  • Kamloops – Interior Community Services 
  • Sunshine Coast – Sunshine Coast Community Services 

2020 Expansion

add

On June 15, 2020, the Province of BC announced eight new Foundry centre locations joining the Foundry network, which will significantly improve access to health and wellness resources, services and supports for young people ages 12 to 24 and their families across British Columbia.

We will be working with the following eight communities and lead agencies to bring integrated mental health, substance use, primary care, youth and family peer supports, and social services to their communities:

View a recording of the expansion announcement and read the press release, which both detail the expansion of Foundry’s network to a total of 19 centres province-wide by 2023.

Welcome from Foundry’s Eight New Communities:

The Expansion Process

Our expansion is part of the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions’ “A Pathway to Hope,” strategy, which is the BC government’s 10-year vision for mental health and addictions care that was launched in 2019 to provide British Columbians with the services they need to tackle problems early on and support their wellbeing.

In October 2019, we issued a call for expressions of interest (EOI) from communities across BC. Non-profit organizations and health and social system agencies serving youth were eligible to submit. In total, we received 40 EOI submissions– a moving demonstration of not only the need, but also the resiliency and strengths that exist in BC.

Two independent panels consisting of youth and caregiver advisors and subject matter experts reviewed those submissions to determine a short list of 19 communities who would move forward to a second phase (convening) of our selection process . The convening phase focused on the lead agency’s readiness to successfully open and operate a Foundry centre, and enabled communities to network with each other and Foundry central office and network staff, as well as Foundry’s youth and caregiver advisors.

Below, you’ll find a video which outlines our expansion process!

Services for youth across BC 

Our centres will continue to be the place where young people and their caregivers can find the help they need, when they need it, to improve their health and wellbeing – even during this challenging and unprecedented time. 

For those unable to access Foundry centres due to physical distancing, location, and/or stigma, Foundry now offers virtual drop-in counselling and peer support sessions using voice, video and chat, and will soon also offer virtual primary care services. Please visit foundrybc.ca/virtual to learn more.