PRRD offers $250,000 towards new Foundry in Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The regional district has tentatively agreed to offer $250,000 of the $1.6 million in funding neded to open Foundry Fort St. John. 

During the February 26th Peace River Regional District (PRRD) board meeting, the directors reviewed a presentation from YMCA BC about opening Foundry Fort St. John.

A YMCA Foundry is a specialized community centre offering free and confidential health services for people aged 12 to 24. 

The delegation explained demand for services and supports was high in northern B.C., but “accessing support is difficult.” 

“We’re not presumptuous, we know this is a multifaceted problem,” Melissa Cailleaux, the YMCA’s director of community health for northern B.C., stated. 

“We’re not presumptuous to say that’s Foundry’s way to come in and fix things, but we know that’s a really important part of the response and solution, alongside all that other great work that partners in the community [are] doing.”

Foundry Fort St. John is intended to be a space “co-designed with you, families, partners, Foundry Central Office and YMCA.” 

The delegation explained it was asking the PRRD to support the organization in securing the necessary funding to open a Fort St. John branch, $1.6 million. 

The Ministry of Health is providing $1.5 million in capital support to cover ongoing operational costs, however, the project requires a total capital budget of $3.1 million. 

Later in the meeting, the PRRD voted to tentatively provide $250,000 in funding, pending another meeting of the delegation before the board.