8 new Foundry centres being opened in B.C., offering more supports for youth

VICTORIA -- The B.C. government is expanding its mental health and substance use services for youth and their families to eight more communities.

Judy Darcy, the minister of mental health and addictions, says the additional centres mean 19 locations throughout the province with have access to the Foundry program.

The new centres will be in Burns Lake, Comox Valley, Cranbrook, Langley, Squamish, Surrey, Port Hardy and Williams Lake.

Darcy says the centres will offer increased access to the services for young people between the ages of 12 and 24.

She says each centre will offer walk-in access to counsellors, mental health and substance use services, family supports, social services and primary care, all at the same location.

The ministry says 9,770 youth used Foundry services last year and the centres recorded more than 35,000 visits.

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  This Foundry location on Vancouver's North Shore is one of several mental health hubs around B.C. Here, young people can access everything from a psychiatrist to employment support. (Courtesy / Foundry BC)