Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, announces Foundry Vernon at news conference in Vernon July 20. (Liam Verster / Vernon Matters photo)

By Liam Verster & Pete McIntyre

supports close to home

New health and wellness centre for young people to open in Vernon

Jul 20, 2023 | 11:50 AM

The B.C. government has announced plans for a new facility in Vernon that will provide young people with access to health and wellness services.

Foundry Vernon will offer services such as mental health and addictions support, drop-in counselling, physical and sexual health care, youth and family peer support and social services for people between the ages of 12 and 24 and their families.

The centre will be operated by the Vernon branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association

The Foundry Vernon facility will be located at 3102 29th Ave. (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

The province will provide $1.5 million to get it established as well as annual funding for operations and services.

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“Every young person in British Columbia deserves health-care services that meet their unique needs, including access to primary care and mental-health support, no matter where they live,” Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, told a news conference in Vernon.

“A new Foundry Centre in Vernon will be a beacon for young people providing a safe and judgment-free space to find mental-health, wellness and addiction supports close to home.”

Whiteside added the facility on 29th Avenue, which as of July 20 was an empty office space, will be, in-part, designed by area youth.

“They’re in on the ground floor, they’re working on the conceptual design for what this is going to look like. It will truly be their space,” Whiteside said.

Whiteside explained during the announcement that the facility could provide a range of services including mental health and substance use care, physical and sexual health, youth and caregiver counselling, youth and peer support, social services including support for employment and education.

Whiteside, responding to a question from Vernon Matters, identified a few services specifically needed in Vernon.

“Coming out of the pandemic we saw a real intensification of anxiety, we saw an increase in eating disorders for example, and on top of that we see increased demand generally across all of our mental health systems, including our substance use systems for youth,” Whiteside stated.

Bailey Millan-Brule, a member of the Youth Advisory Committee, added sexual health has been highlighted as a key service to be offered at the new facility.

“There’s a really huge difference in sexual health and sexual education in high schools. A lot of people are afraid to ask questions and even more people are afraid to answer,” Millan-Brule said.

There are 16 Foundry centres open throughout the province with another seven under development. Whiteside said over 14,400 British Columbia youth accessed services or supports through Foundry facilities in 2022, and another 2,000 sought support virtually through the Foundry app.

Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon-Monashee, said young people have faced such uncertainty over the past few years with the COVID-19 pandemic, toxic-drug crisis, extreme weather emergencies and other circumstances.

“I look forward to celebrating the opening of Foundry Vernon, where more young people will have access to the mental-health and addiction supports, they need. As a parent and healthcare professional, I see the great benefits and much-needed services this foundry centre will bring for years to come,” Sandhu said.

Julia Payson, executive director, Canadian Mental Health Association, Vernon and District Branch, said mental health starts with community, and the vision for Foundry Vernon is based on young people, families, service providers and advocates all coming together to envision how to best support youth across the North Okanagan.

“As we build and launch Foundry Vernon, our community will continue to support young people and their loved ones, to make sure this is an inclusive and safe space, and that youth are met where they are at,” Payson said.

Payson added the facility has been made possible thanks to a “transformational gift” from the Foord Family Foundation, and later confirmed a total of $1,550,000 was provided to support the Foundry Vernon project.

There was no timeline established for when the Vernon Foundry centre would be open and operational, but Payson did note similar youth supports and services are being offered through CMHA Vernon.

The new facility in Vernon is one of 12 foundry the centres the B.C. Government committed to supporting in this year’s budget. The only other new facility announced as part of that group of 12 was one in Powell River.