‘One-stop shop:’ Youth centre set to open in the Tri-Cities early next year
Posted on August 22, 2025 by
A new Foundry centre will provide a range of health-related services for youth
Tri-Cities Dispatch Article By Hanna Hett ● Community ● August 21, 2025
When B.C. issued a call for proposals for a new youth-focused initiative called Foundry, Claire MacLean said that the phone started ringing.
Community members were calling SHARE Family & Community Services to ask if they were going to apply to run one.
They did, and a Foundry centre is currently under renovation at Poco place. It’s set to be finished by the end of the year, and MacLean, the CEO of SHARE, expects doors to open early 2026.
This is part of a province-wide initiative to create centres with integrated services for youth between 12 and 24.
“It is essentially a one-stop shop,” said MacLean.
Once open, Tri-Cities youth can visit for access to physical and sexual health care, mental health care, substance use services, youth and family peer support, and social services.
“Young people can come in, they can get access to that full team of supports without an appointment, all at the moment that they arrive. And come out of it with a care plan to support their needs going forward,” she said.
Youth, caregivers, community partners, government organizations and donors will deliver the services.
There are currently 17 other Foundry centres across the province, and MacLean says that they have proven to be “a really important layer of support for young people and their families.”
Foundry’s approach is based on the idea that people’s wellness is often affected by multiple factors. A centre with integrated services means that they can avoid visiting multiple places, getting referrals and continuously telling their story.
MacLean said that youth across the province are in need of support like this, and the prime reasons that youth have visited Foundry centres so far are depression, anxiety and mild substance use concerns.
“If we can get in there with the right kind of supports when those problems are in the mild to moderate range, we can have a really lasting positive impact on young people and their families,” said MacLean.