Kelowna, July 15, 2019 ~ Foundry Kelowna has found a temporary home after a small fire closed the centre last week.
Starting Wednesday, July 17th, the youth mental health centre will be operating at Central school, located at 1825 Richter Street. All of the programs and services will be running out of the school while some individual appointments may still occur offsite.
The Foundry Kelowna offices on Kirschner Road closed after a small kitchen fire broke out last week. The fire itself damaged a small area but the smoke damage affected the entire centre. It is estimated the offices will be closed for a few weeks while the building is cleaned.
Shelagh Turner, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Kelowna Executive Director, says as soon as word was out about the fire the community responded with incredible support. “Right away we had calls from many people offering their office space, office equipment or just asking how they could help. We are so grateful to the Central Okanagan School District for opening up this space and for everyone who jumped in to help us get up and fully operational so quickly. Foundry has been a game-changer on how we work together in this community and during times of adversity, people have really stepped up.”
In order to ensure continuity of Foundry Kelowna service, staff from the partner organizations who work out of Foundry Kelowna temporarily relocated to other offices, while CMHA Kelowna staff who were working at the centre moved to the organization’s Sutherland location.
Turner says, “Changing our site temporarily has required ‘all hands on deck’. It’s not going to be perfect for the next couple of weeks as we adapt to this new space, but we will be able to offer the same quality service for youth 12-24 and families, as we always have done.”
Hours of operation will remain the same at Central School: Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm, with drop in access 12:00pm – 4:00pm, walk – in counselling Tuesday – Thursday 1:00pm – 4:00pm.
If you have a question about an upcoming group or appointment please call Foundry Kelowna at 236 420 2803.
Media Contact:
Jessica Samuels
Communication Manager, CMHA Kelowna
250-575-2192, jessica.samuels@cmha.bc.ca
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