On March 4, 2024, the Province of BC announced ten new Foundry centre locations will be joining the Foundry network!
We’re so excited to welcome the following ten communities and their lead agencies to the Foundry network:
- Burnaby—BC Centre for Ability
- Chilliwack—Fraser Health
- Nanaimo—Snuneymuxw 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.
Following a thorough application and review process, ten new communities will host Foundry centres, increasing the total to 35 across B.C. “This expansion is part of our ongoing commitment to creating wellness spaces across the province that youth can readily access without being limited by where they live”, said Steve Mathias, Co-Executive Director, Foundry.
“At my centre, we prioritize a holistic and decolonized approach to wellness so the Indigenous youth who visit our centre don’t feel limited to Western forms of healthcare as their only way of healing”, said Lillian Brown, Peer Support Worker at Foundry Cariboo Chilcotin.
Read the full news release to learn more.
Missed the announcement? Catch the livestream here.
Questions around expansion? Email expansion@foundrybc.ca or visit https://foundrybc.ca/expansion/