The Youth Wellness Centre got a million-dollar kickstart from the City of Maple Ridge Tuesday, so now there’s only the matter of scraping up the remaining $3.1 million to help construct a new building.
Council approved giving the land next to the Greg Moore Youth Centre, steps from Haney Place Mall, as the site for the new centre, which will contain the Foundry Ridge Meadows program, a one-stop help centre for youth facing minor to moderate mental or emotional issues.
That land is worth half a million dollars, while the city is contributing another $500,000 for the new building.
“Everybody wants the project to go,” said Coun. Bob Masse.
It was a tough debate among the five councillors at the meeting, some of whom weren’t comfortable spending city money on a provincial responsibility, such as health care, he added.
“We all realize that’s not the traditional role of municipal government, so we try to stay in our lanes financially,” Masse said.
“We can’t go backwards on this now where we don’t have kids being able to access mental health care.”
It’s a fair amount of money, but was needed in order to get the fundraising for the remaining amount started.
“We’re not writing a cheque for $500,000. We’re saying you don’t have to pay the charges you normally have to pay,” Masse said.
The Foundry program, which is in cities around B.C., offers youth and families one-stop access to mental health counselling, substance-use services, social services and family support. It’s based on the principle that the earlier kids get help, the easier it is to get back on track with their personal lives, school or work.
The Foundry arrives in about a year and a half, but a pilot program has been operating out of the youth centre for the past two years.
With the city’s contribution, about another $3.1 million needs to be raised, either from provincial or federal grants and the community itself, in order to construct the new centre.
“We’re very grateful to the city because we believe that contribution will inspire others,” said Ron Antalek, who’s on the fundraising committee and part of the initial effort to bring the Foundry program to Maple Ridge.
“This will help and it will all happen.”
Antalek is optimistic the remaining money will be found. The Ministry of Health, through the Foundry program, is already contributing $450,000 for the construction, and is also funding the operating costs of Foundry to pay for medical and counselling staffing.
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Community Services, which will be administering Foundry, will be in charge of the fundraising.
There’s no time to waste though. The project is on the fast-track, Antalek added.
“The mandate is like now because it really needs to happen as soon as possible.”
He noted that Kelowna raised about $2 million within two months for the same cause.
“We might surprise ourselves with how fast we can find it.”
Coun. Gordy Robson said he usually opposes the city taking on a provincial responsibility.
“But the amount of momentum this project has behind it locally is just so great, I just couldn’t say no. We had to assist them,” Robson said.
“Any time we can keep a kid out of trouble, it’s certainly worth the money.”
The city’s contribution is contingent on the rest of the money being raised for the project.
Robson said he wants the Foundry program to remain locally run and focused.
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Community Services had asked for $4.1 million from the city, and that would have been repaid over 15 years.
Another $3.1 million is needed to fund the construction cost. Operating costs of $450,000 for the Foundry program, which is already underway on a smaller scale in the Greg Moore Youth Centre, is being paid by the Ministry of Health.