Province names Terrace as latest community to host Foundry Youth Centre program

The province of British Columbia is bringing the Foundry
program to the Terrace area for mid 2019
(above the Foundry location in North Vancouver, photo from FoundryBC)

Help for youth in the Northwest with mental health issues or addictions will be available in the Terrace area by mid 2019, with the Provincial government naming the northwest community as one of its latest locations for the Foundry Youth Centre program.

The Foundry centres are designed to provide assistance to young people ages 12 to 24 who are living with mental health and addictions challenges, with a safe judgment free environment, where they can feel comfortable asking for help and accessing the services they need.

The centres offer easy access to core services, including primary care, mental health and addictions services, youth and family peer support and navigation as well as social services such as employment support.

Terrace, along with Richmond which was also added to the list yesterday, join nine other communities which currently host the program, or are in the process of introducing it to their community.

The program received additional funding by the province last year, directed towards regional health authorities to help support the establishment of the additional centres.

Judy D'Arcy the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, made the announcement from an event in North Vancouver on Monday, highlighting the options the program will provide for those in need.

“Foundry centres make it easier for young people to find ‘the right door’ when it comes to accessing the mental health and addictions services they need,”  ...“Growing this vital network of care for youth by adding Richmond and Terrace to the Foundry network will give more young people the support they need to create a future full of hope, happiness, and success.”

The selection of Terrace as the next destination for the program was received well by Michale McFeteridge, the Executive Director of the Terrace and District Community Services.

“By bringing such an integrated team approach under one roof, the youth and families of Terrace and our region will now have a support system that will help them take the steps towards greater well-being and healthier futures. Our organization looks forward to working with our community partners and Foundry in this amazing endeavour.”

More on what the Terrace organization has to offer its residents can be found here.

Further background on Monday's announcement can be reviewed here.

You can learn more about what the Foundry program is about here.

There was no indication from Monday's announcement if further expansion of the Foundry program is planned and if Prince Rupert might be in the running for it's own location for the program.

The call for local assistance for those living in the city with mental health and addictions issues is something that local residents have long been asking for, with little success to be found as of yet.

The move to place the Foundry program in Terrace comes as that community begins its process of replacement of the Mill Memorial Hospital, with plans to upgrade that facility to a Level three trauma centre.

The focus on the Terrace area is just the latest of provincial services to be put in place in that community, which continues to become the default location for many government initiatives for the area, even if their MLA is a member of the Liberal party of BC.

The NDP government has also been making Terrace the central location for many of their community engagement information sessions of late, with consultation events regularly routed through the Skeena Valley city, with little interest apparent in making that extra ninety minute drive to the north Coast for Prince Rupert to play host.

You can review more information about the work of North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice at the Legislature from our archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review