March 11, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode, we explore a unique housing development in Terrace that brings different generations together under one roof. This project offers not just homes, but a space where seniors and youth can connect, share stories, and build relationships.
Designed in collaboration with youth and families, on the ground floor will be Foundry Terrace, offering integrated health and wellness services for young people ages 12 to 24 and their families
British Columbia is in the grips of a housing affordability crisis decades in the making. We need to find innovative solutions.
The Province has an ambitious plan to address the crisis through the largest investment in housing affordability in BC’s history.
Tasked with building tens of thousands of homes in hundreds of communities is BC Housing, the province’s agency responsible for developing, managing, and administering a wide range of subsidized housing and homelessness services across the province.
BC Housing doesn’t do this alone. To address the challenge, it’s working with hundreds of partners. In Let’s Talk Housing Season Three, you’ll get to hear from those delivering exciting affordable housing solutions.
Hosted by Sara Goldvine, episodes address deep-rooted societal issues:
• the right to affordable, accessible and culturally appropriate housing
• mental health challenges
• homelessness
• meeting the needs of women and children leaving violence
• fostering community acceptance
• role of the private sector
• Impacts of climate change on housing.
About BC Housing
BC Housing develops, manages and administers a wide range of subsidized housing options across the province. We also license residential builders, administer owner builder authorizations and carry out research and education that benefits the residential construction industry, consumers and the affordable housing sector.
We work in partnership with the private and non-profit sectors, provincial health authorities and ministries, other levels of government and community groups to develop a range of housing options.
Who we serve
• Individuals who are homeless
• Individuals with disabilities
• Indigenous individuals and families
• Women and children at risk of violence
• Low-income seniors and families
• Buyers of new homes
Learn more about BC Housing here: https://www.bchousing.org/
For more news on our latest projects and developments, visit: https://news.bchousing.org/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Hello and welcome to Let's Talk Housing.
I'm your host, Sara Goldvine.
In today's episode, we explore a uniquehousing development in Terrace
that brings differentgenerations together under one roof.
This project offers not just homes,but a space where seniors
and youth can connect, share stories,and build relationships.
Designed in collaborationwith youth and families,
(00:25):
on the ground floor will be FoundryTerrace, offering integrated
health and wellness servicesfor young people ages 12 to 24.
And then above the Foundry will be 43
homes, affordablefor seniors with low to moderate incomes.
Joining us today to talk aboutthis exciting project are Steve Mathias,
Co-Executive Director of Foundry,and Michael McFetridge,
(00:46):
Executive Director with Terraceand District Community Services Society.
Before we get underway,I'd like to acknowledge
that we're recording today'sepisode on the unceded territories
and the Musqueam, Squamishand Tsleil-Waututh
on Coast Salish lands,as well as on the unceded territory
of the Tsimshian,and specifically the Kitsumkalum Nation.
For transparency,we're recording this episode
(01:08):
in November of 2024 and our conversationreflects the priorities of that time.
Steve, Michael, welcome to Let's Talk Housing.
Michael, let's start with you.
Can you tell us a little bit more
about this exciting projectand what brought it to be?
Okay.
Well, we're a not for profitcharity in a rural community.
So when we make
(01:31):
strategicdecisions on how to make investments
on behalf of our community,we have to make sure that we are
maximizing the value, the valueproposition on whatever investment
we're doing. For us, because we're asocial service provider
the value proposition ishow many people can we help?
And so if we're going to make,
(01:52):
a significant investmentin our community,
we want to make sure that we are ensuring
that as many people get the benefitof our investment as possible.
And we were at the place in our planningwith Foundry Central
in establishing a permanent homefor Terrace Foundry site.
(02:12):
And in that process,
we came to realize that buildingour own location
was probably the most prudentand most effective thing to do.
And as soon as we came to thatdetermination, maximizing the opportunity
for this process,at least from our end, came
in to, our, our machinations.
(02:33):
Right. So we then looked to
our municipalities.
They did a needs assessmentin 2014, 2015.
And that sounds likeit's a long time ago.
But at the time, it wasn't that long agowhen we were doing it,
we reached back and we looked to seewhat the Terrace municipality found.
And obviously, seniorsand youth are the two largest
(02:57):
groups of people that were identifiedin their needs assessment.
And so we tried to figure out a way to
use our resourceto bring benefit to both groups of people
with the primary focus on
bringing a Foundry Central permanent home.That was the primary driver,
(03:18):
but the secondary was who elsecan we help along the way?
So that's kind of how it happened for us.
Yeah, that's great Michael.
So Steve,I'd love to bring you in here.
So we you know, obviouslyFoundry operates,
centres right across the province.
And this is a pretty unique model.
What did
the Foundry see interms of the benefits here for community?
(03:40):
Thanks, Sara.
So Foundry is a provincial initiative.
It's a programthat is out of Providence Health Care,
which is a nonprofit societythat supports
various acute care settings,like St. Paul's Hospital,
in downtown Vancouver, longstandinghistory of working in the inner city.
(04:02):
And we had initiated back in 2015,
this idea of branded centresthat had all the services
that youth needed for their health
and social service needs.
And so, at the time,in our second phase of expansion,
(04:22):
the Northern Health Authorityand the province had identified,
that Terrace was a really important
hub for us to deliver servicesfrom, given its positioning
in central, west, north, BC.
And so when we began conversationswith Mike and the team at TDCSS,
(04:46):
we understood that
Foundry would be a really significant
social asset in the community and that
because of what is probably
a dearth of placesfor young people to go,
it was really important that we create,
something special and something that
(05:07):
really marked a
a new direction, I think, for servicesfor young people in the city.
And so when we started that conversation,
with, Mike and the team in Terrace,
it was really clearthat going beyond an initial 23
or 2400 square footspace was really critical,
(05:30):
because it would provide opportunities,for increased programing
and increased wellnessand recreational programing specifically,
and also give, the young people
a place where they could comeafter school hours,
to do more than just accessing
a health service, but actually accesssocial service as well.
(05:52):
So that was the opportunity that we saw.
And it was wonderfulthat BC Housing came alongside
with funding to really create, I think,
what is a fairly uniqueinitiative in the province.
I hope our listeners understand what thisspace is going to be like.
I mean, you've got right now,you have an interim site.
What types of servicesare you offering to youth,
(06:14):
Steve, out of that site?And how do you think that'll change once
you have access to theto the permanent purpose built location?
Well, what I can say is that,Foundry centres are meant to provide,
most of the servicesthat a young person would need.
So mentalhealth and substance use, primary care,
sexual health or reproductive healthservices, and then social services
(06:37):
such as employment,some work in education, as well
as paid positionsfor young people to work as peers.
And so that is the full model,that is the full model.
And that's what we are able to do inspaces that are typically 6 to 8000 square feet.
Terrace has a smaller space right nowbecause it's roughly,
(06:58):
I think, Mike, about 2300 square feet,if I recall.
But maybe, Mike, you can talk about
what the servicesare currently being offered.
Well, we're a full fidelity site, Steve.
I mean, we've been that'sone of the great things that I think
that our teams together have managed topull off is with a much smaller site.
It's an interim site.
It's about,I think, about 3000, 3500 square feet altogether.
(07:21):
Since we've opened,we've been a full fidelity
site, meaning that we haveall of the service streams
and the integration requiredfor the full Foundry model.
And we have just seen the benefitsright away.
I mean, since we've opened our doors,we opened in the middle of the pandemic.
I mean, that's somethingthat we need to acknowledge and
and ever since we opened our doorthe first time, our centre
(07:45):
has been full and vibrant and accessedacross all the service streams.
Right? And it's provided a very safe,
unique place in
our community for youth to go
for, for any number of things.
I mean, it's not just a destinationbecause you have a problem, right?
(08:07):
And I think that's a real,
a key thing to note hereis that when a Foundry site
is firing on full pistons, it'sa very holistic environment.
And, having youth come infor any number of reasons, even social
even just a plain social connectionwith someone that they feel safe with,
that they feel connected with,and that they can have
(08:28):
that basic connectionwith someone in a safe environment. And,
on top of it, you've got everything elsethat a youth might need
in order to make good decisionsfor themselves to develop
self-determination and autonomy.
We've seen our program in Terrace producethat outcome for
for the many, many, many of the youththat have frequented our doorstep.
(08:52):
Right?
And so that's been our experience
so far and what the new siteis going to look like and provide for
our programing issignificantly more capacity.
We are challenged
with the type of space that we haveand the amount of space that we have.
And with this new space,it's been intentionally designed,
(09:13):
through collaboration from the youth
and the professional set of workersthat will come in and use the system.
They had a wonderful timeof coming together
and expressing their mutual needs.
And so the design of the
the centre itself is very innovativethat way
(09:34):
in that there's everything thereprofessionally set out
in the correct fashionthat professionals
from the number of different servicestreams can expect.
And so it's very useful for them.
But at the same time,at a very primary level,
youth have said this is what we need,
and this is how it would be greatif it can be structured for us.
(09:55):
And that's incorporated as well.
So I'm really looking forwardto seeing how that jams out.
Right.
I think that's going to be,a wonderful progression for Terrace
in particular, is that we've kind of gonefrom a very functional,
useful environmentto a much more capable space
where enhanced programing and connectionswith our community can take place.
(10:20):
Yeah. So, I mean,
you've got an amazing suite of servicesthat are going to be able
to be delivered in this new site,Michael. But,
you could have paired with any numberof different organizations,
and specifically you'rebringing in a partnership with housing
and providing housing,not to youth, but to seniors.
Can you tell us more about why,why you think it's important to
(10:44):
to pair the services in community within
a building that offershousing and housing for seniors?
Well, Sara, I'm goingto preface my response with saying I'm
going to be careful with this answer,but I think this is a natural extension.
And I'm really hopeful that BC Housing,
(11:06):
now that they've had some experiencein working with other,
I want to use the term public body,but let's just
without with another organizationwith a different kind of mandate. I'm
hoping that there's been a wonderfulconnection of like-minded people,
at higher level.
(11:26):
I know that Foundry has definitely seen,
the partnershippotential with BC Housing.
And I'm really hoping, as an outsider, as,as the recipient
of the beneficence of public bodies,
I really hope that BC Housingsees the synergy
and the effectiveness of pairing andand partnering with organizations
(11:50):
like Foundry Centraland not for profits in the community
and how it can provide opportunities like this
that aren't necessarily boilerplateor cookie cutter
templates that they may havepreviously been used to using in
how they go about and provideservices for British Columbians.
(12:13):
Steve, I’d love your thoughts on this too.
I mean, out of all of the models,
what benefits doyou see and does Foundry
see with partnering servicesfor youth, with housing for seniors.
Why is that important?
I think it's important forfor a multitude of reasons.
One, we know with Foundry,we're looking for permanent homes
(12:33):
that are really intended to becomesocial assets and social amenities.
And sometimes that can be a challengewhen you're
dealing with landlords and you're dealingwith potentially short lease options.
It seems like every building in
BC is scheduled for demolitionat some point in the next 5 to 10 years.
So it's not always easyto, to find, a long term partner.
(12:57):
And we also know that this is,the Foundry model is something
that government,the province is committed to,
for more than just this generation.
So finding permanent homes, onesthat really are designed
with young people in mind, are criticaland ideal.
(13:18):
So when an opportunitylike this comes along
and we're looking at the possibilityof being on the ground floor
of a housing site,the housing site is going to be important
as a place to drawfolks to, as we've alluded to.
But it will also be importantfor young people to feel welcome there.
And there are certain combinationsof housing
(13:43):
that we feel are really conduciveto young people feeling welcome.
And I think that, having seniors housing,
where young people are
not likely to have conflictwith people in the housing,
and are likely to be able
to interactin a way that is intergenerational
and is respectful,I think is really important.
(14:05):
And potentially creates opportunitiesthat right now we don't have in
communities. We haven't necessarily seenin the last couple of generations,
young people having time with,
seniors or elders in their community.
And as we know,and what we're seeing now, obviously,
as we decolonize health care,
(14:26):
as we really seethe reemergence of Indigenous culture
as well as in Western culture, is thatthat relationship is really important.
It's one that I think, as,
to colonial organizations,
or settler organizations,I should say, we have a responsibility
to try to foster the opportunityfor young people to interact
(14:48):
with, with seniors in their communityand to see what that looks like.
We certainly know that, seniorstend to get up a lot earlier,
in the day than young people.
So there may be opportunitiesfor shared amenity space.
But there may also be opportunitiesfor mentorship moments that we're hoping
we can create.
In the years ahead.
(15:11):
So I think that's what we sawas an opportunity.
We've seen another project in Squamish,
where,
the, bottom floor is Foundry Squamish,or Foundry Sea to Sky
and the other levelsis low income housing.
And that seems to be working well.
So family, family housingand that seems to be working
(15:32):
well, also, so we're curiousto see what this model looks like.
When it rolls out.
Yeah.
I mean, there'ssome beautiful opportunities there
for youth to feel
really connected to a broader communityand to be able to learn from and
connect with elders directly on siteas part of an integrated community.
(15:54):
Michael, for our audience,can you talk to us a little bit
about the importance of that connection,
the intergenerational connectionspecifically for Terrace?
I think maybe some of our listeners
wouldn't know a lot about Terraceand specifically,
the importance of Terraceas a hub in, northwest BC.
So Terrace is obviously locatedin northwest BC.
(16:14):
We're on the western end of Highway 16,
about an hourand a half east of Prince Rupert.
So we're about an an hour and a bitfrom the coast to the hardcore coast,
Prince Rupert.We're also about 40 minutes
northish of Kitimat,which is on the ocean as well.
And we're about, about an hourand a bit outside of the Hazeltons.
(16:36):
So Terrace sits in a very geographically
central location for thispart of the world.
And this part of the world is very old,right?
The civilizations herehave been here for 30,000 years.
And so this is the meetingplace of the Gitxsan,
of the Tsimshian, of the Nisga'aof the Haisla.
There's so many nations that,
(16:59):
use this area together.
Now, this is,
traditional and uncededterritory of the Tsimshian people.
And so we predominantly, as a communitymembers, engage with the Tsimshian.
But as a regional area, it's
it's quite a union place.
(17:21):
And you can track that for BC
as a whole, everything that comes outof Rupert has to come through Terrace.
And so our community is fortunatethat it's multicultural
in many ways.It might not appear that way on
from a certain perspective,
but from another perspective, it's quite cosmopolitan.
(17:45):
And so bringing
these two populations together
in an intentional way is not,I think all that innovative.
I wish, I wish I could go,but I mean, there's evidence and studies
that have been trackingthis process for over 40 or 50 years.
(18:05):
Harvard, Stanford, even Simon Fraser has
has an intergenerational,
longitudinal studythat shows quite clearly
that when these two populationsare brought together intentionally and,
in a manner that they both feel safe,all of the outcomes,
nearly all of the outcomes for eitherpopulation are higher.
(18:28):
Right.
And so what that means for usis making sure
that each population is safeand population, each group of people
feel safe and secureand have their space.
And that if people don't want to engagewith each other, they don't need to.
That's not forced upon them.
There's no forced inclusion.
However,there will invariably be groups of people
(18:51):
from either of these groupsthat want to connect,
and it will be our jobto make sure that we find an intentional,
safe way for the wisdom and the
the benefits, those enormous
benefitsof having people who have experienced
the vicissitudes of lifeand have been able to get through it,
(19:14):
share how they do that with peoplewho are just starting out on the journey,
and for them to feel valuefrom each other.
Right.And so that's our intention.
That's our goal.
That's how it happened here in that
we have some real strong need,
for seniors housing in our community,our co-op has a ten year waiting list.
(19:38):
And so it's implausible.
Right. It's at an impasse.
And again, our community hasn't shone,
for, I would say, a broad spectrum,inclusive
youth program outreach support systemin a long time
and TDCSS had one going on the TerraceYouth Strategic Initiative.
(20:01):
We called it TYES,
and we had that running for about eight,nine years before we were fortunate
enough to get involved with Foundry,and that was it.
So we've known for some time that,
youth services, senior services,
there was real needin each of these areas. And,
(20:24):
bringing them together in this manner
is based on evidence, based on need.
And I know that the benefits,
the outcomes, will be betterand higher for each group.
And and so we're committed, right? TDCSS
as a community led organization,this is why we're here.
So we're inand that's why we've made the investment
(20:49):
to bring such,
a community asset to our city.
To put this all in context, there’s,what, 35 Foundry spaces,
across BC, you mentioned one other sitethat is partnered with housing.
Can you talk just a little bit about,from the Foundry's perspective,
how does this project play into the
(21:10):
to the broader visionfor the Foundry across BC?
And you know, what do you see as
the future, consideringthis project is part of the mix.
So thank you, Sara.
So right nowwe have 17 centres open, and we're
working with another 18 communitiesto identify spaces
for their Foundry centresso that we can open,
(21:30):
35 by, 2027 2028.
So what we are reallycurious about in this second
partnership is
what opportunities in the futuremay there be
with other similar
buildings or other similar initiativesand whether or not because
(21:52):
we're looking for spaces in,
larger urban centresand more rural communities.
Yeah. That's fantastic.
Michael, I'd like to wrapby asking you to look ahead.
Right.
So just outside of your window,or maybe it's outside of your door.
You've got a building under constructionright now.
Of course, this place is not open yet.
(22:13):
So if you look ahead towhen that building is opened,
which right now is lookinglike some point in 2026,
what do you thinkthat's going to mean for community?
Can you describe what you thinkit will look like for you
to be walking in
and for community members to be walkingin the doors of that building in 2026?
Sara.It's right in the centre of town, right?
I mean, this is one of the thingsthat we knew would make it special
(22:34):
is that this resource, this communityresources in the centre of our community.
Neither group has to go far.
They're not excluded.
They're not shunted out to some part of
the community where no one sees themor where it's hard to get to.
This is as accessibleas Terrance can make it.
And so this is a legacy resource, right?
(22:58):
I mean, I bored Steve and his team.
Oh my goodness.
This is going to be such an incrediblelong standing generations.
And that's what it's going to be.
I mean, the, the youth
who are using our services nowand whose lives are becoming
(23:18):
positively impactedby all of the positive things
that happen at a Foundry, they very maywell end up living on top of that house.
That building, when it's their turn.
And to be able to give somebodyin your community
that kind of continuity of care,continuity of belonging,
(23:39):
connection to the heart oftheir community, that makes me feel good.
I can go to bed at night.
I mean, it's just it's
just such a significant win for Terraceand the whole community
that’s behind it.
Our municipality, local
politicians and community leaders saw
how valuablesomething like this would be.
(24:02):
And I know that in the years to come,
it will just continue to be a sourceand a place of safety and
and positive energy,for lack of a better term.
Sorry.
I wish I could make
it sound like super fantastic,but in essence, that's what it is.
It's just this enormous,incredible resource that will be able
(24:27):
to bring positive outcomes
for a whole spectrum of life cycle.
Right?
I mean, that'sjust that's a positive thing.
It's not just for this part of your life,
for that part of your life,or for people who are doing this.
It's for everybody.
And the more that we can incorporatethat into our wellness models,
(24:51):
holistic, integrated, connection.
I would love to see a Foundry
BC model for senior citizens/
And that's what I see.
This building, this asset is,you know, that's
what we're hoping it's going to do,is to show the way for our province
(25:12):
that we can do this and that this modelhas applications everywhere.
Yeah.
Well, it's a really excitingand positive model.
And I can't wait to see what happens.
When the when the new site opens.
Steve, Michael, thank you so muchfor joining us on the podcast today.
(25:32):
Let's talk again soon.
To learn more about BC Housing,including how to apply for
subsidized housing in BritishColumbia, visit bchousing.org.
You can also find uson Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
If you enjoyed this episode,give us a rating.
This will help others find
(25:53):
Let's Talk Housing and join the conversation.
You can subscribe to Let's TalkHousing on Apple, Spotify,
or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Hello and welcome to Let's Talk Housing.
I'm your host, Sara Goldvine.
In today's episode, we explore a uniquehousing development in Terrace
that brings differentgenerations together under one roof.
This project offers not just homes,but a space where seniors
and youth can connect, share stories,and build relationships.
Designed in collaborationwith youth and families,
(00:25):
on the ground floor will be FoundryTerrace, offering integrated
health and wellness servicesfor young people ages 12 to 24.
And then above the Foundry will be 43
homes, affordablefor seniors with low to moderate incomes.
Joining us today to talk aboutthis exciting project are Steve Mathias,
Co-Executive Director of Foundry,and Michael McFetridge,
(00:46):
Executive Director with Terraceand District Community Services Society.
Before we get underway,I'd like to acknowledge
that we're recording today'sepisode on the unceded territories
and the Musqueam, Squamishand Tsleil-Waututh
on Coast Salish lands,as well as on the unceded territory
of the Tsimshian,and specifically the Kitsumkalum Nation.
For transparency,we're recording this episode
(01:08):
in November of 2024 and our conversationreflects the priorities of that time.
Steve, Michael, welcome to Let's Talk Housing.
Michael, let's start with you.
Can you tell us a little bit more
about this exciting projectand what brought it to be?
Okay.
Well, we're a not for profitcharity in a rural community.
So when we make
(01:31):
strategicdecisions on how to make investments
on behalf of our community,we have to make sure that we are
maximizing the value, the valueproposition on whatever investment
we're doing. For us, because we're asocial service provider
the value proposition ishow many people can we help?
And so if we're going to make,
(01:52):
a significant investmentin our community,
we want to make sure that we are ensuring
that as many people get the benefitof our investment as possible.
And we were at the place in our planningwith Foundry Central
in establishing a permanent homefor Terrace Foundry site.
(02:12):
And in that process,
we came to realize that buildingour own location
was probably the most prudentand most effective thing to do.
And as soon as we came to thatdetermination, maximizing the opportunity
for this process,at least from our end, came
in to, our, our machinations.
(02:33):
Right. So we then looked to
our municipalities.
They did a needs assessmentin 2014, 2015.
And that sounds likeit's a long time ago.
But at the time, it wasn't that long agowhen we were doing it,
we reached back and we looked to seewhat the Terrace municipality found.
And obviously, seniorsand youth are the two largest
(02:57):
groups of people that were identifiedin their needs assessment.
And so we tried to figure out a way to
use our resourceto bring benefit to both groups of people
with the primary focus on
bringing a Foundry Central permanent home.That was the primary driver,
(03:18):
but the secondary was who elsecan we help along the way?
So that's kind of how it happened for us.
Yeah, that's great Michael.
So Steve,I'd love to bring you in here.
So we you know, obviouslyFoundry operates,
centres right across the province.
And this is a pretty unique model.
What did
the Foundry see interms of the benefits here for community?
(03:40):
Thanks, Sara.
So Foundry is a provincial initiative.
It's a programthat is out of Providence Health Care,
which is a nonprofit societythat supports
various acute care settings,like St. Paul's Hospital,
in downtown Vancouver, longstandinghistory of working in the inner city.
(04:02):
And we had initiated back in 2015,
this idea of branded centresthat had all the services
that youth needed for their health
and social service needs.
And so, at the time,in our second phase of expansion,
(04:22):
the Northern Health Authorityand the province had identified,
that Terrace was a really important
hub for us to deliver servicesfrom, given its positioning
in central, west, north, BC.
And so when we began conversationswith Mike and the team at TDCSS,
(04:46):
we understood that
Foundry would be a really significant
social asset in the community and that
because of what is probably
a dearth of placesfor young people to go,
it was really important that we create,
something special and something that
(05:07):
really marked a
a new direction, I think, for servicesfor young people in the city.
And so when we started that conversation,
with, Mike and the team in Terrace,
it was really clearthat going beyond an initial 23
or 2400 square footspace was really critical,
(05:30):
because it would provide opportunities,for increased programing
and increased wellnessand recreational programing specifically,
and also give, the young people
a place where they could comeafter school hours,
to do more than just accessing
a health service, but actually accesssocial service as well.
(05:52):
So that was the opportunity that we saw.
And it was wonderfulthat BC Housing came alongside
with funding to really create, I think,
what is a fairly uniqueinitiative in the province.
I hope our listeners understand what thisspace is going to be like.
I mean, you've got right now,you have an interim site.
What types of servicesare you offering to youth,
(06:14):
Steve, out of that site?And how do you think that'll change once
you have access to theto the permanent purpose built location?
Well, what I can say is that,Foundry centres are meant to provide,
most of the servicesthat a young person would need.
So mentalhealth and substance use, primary care,
sexual health or reproductive healthservices, and then social services
(06:37):
such as employment,some work in education, as well
as paid positionsfor young people to work as peers.
And so that is the full model,that is the full model.
And that's what we are able to do inspaces that are typically 6 to 8000 square feet.
Terrace has a smaller space right nowbecause it's roughly,
(06:58):
I think, Mike, about 2300 square feet,if I recall.
But maybe, Mike, you can talk about
what the servicesare currently being offered.
Well, we're a full fidelity site, Steve.
I mean, we've been that'sone of the great things that I think
that our teams together have managed topull off is with a much smaller site.
It's an interim site.
It's about,I think, about 3000, 3500 square feet altogether.
(07:21):
Since we've opened,we've been a full fidelity
site, meaning that we haveall of the service streams
and the integration requiredfor the full Foundry model.
And we have just seen the benefitsright away.
I mean, since we've opened our doors,we opened in the middle of the pandemic.
I mean, that's somethingthat we need to acknowledge and
and ever since we opened our doorthe first time, our centre
(07:45):
has been full and vibrant and accessedacross all the service streams.
Right? And it's provided a very safe,
unique place in
our community for youth to go
for, for any number of things.
I mean, it's not just a destinationbecause you have a problem, right?
(08:07):
And I think that's a real,
a key thing to note hereis that when a Foundry site
is firing on full pistons, it'sa very holistic environment.
And, having youth come infor any number of reasons, even social
even just a plain social connectionwith someone that they feel safe with,
that they feel connected with,and that they can have
(08:28):
that basic connectionwith someone in a safe environment. And,
on top of it, you've got everything elsethat a youth might need
in order to make good decisionsfor themselves to develop
self-determination and autonomy.
We've seen our program in Terrace producethat outcome for
for the many, many, many of the youththat have frequented our doorstep.
(08:52):
Right?
And so that's been our experience
so far and what the new siteis going to look like and provide for
our programing issignificantly more capacity.
We are challenged
with the type of space that we haveand the amount of space that we have.
And with this new space,it's been intentionally designed,
(09:13):
through collaboration from the youth
and the professional set of workersthat will come in and use the system.
They had a wonderful timeof coming together
and expressing their mutual needs.
And so the design of the
the centre itself is very innovativethat way
(09:34):
in that there's everything thereprofessionally set out
in the correct fashionthat professionals
from the number of different servicestreams can expect.
And so it's very useful for them.
But at the same time,at a very primary level,
youth have said this is what we need,
and this is how it would be greatif it can be structured for us.
(09:55):
And that's incorporated as well.
So I'm really looking forwardto seeing how that jams out.
Right.
I think that's going to be,a wonderful progression for Terrace
in particular, is that we've kind of gonefrom a very functional,
useful environmentto a much more capable space
where enhanced programing and connectionswith our community can take place.
(10:20):
Yeah. So, I mean,
you've got an amazing suite of servicesthat are going to be able
to be delivered in this new site,Michael. But,
you could have paired with any numberof different organizations,
and specifically you'rebringing in a partnership with housing
and providing housing,not to youth, but to seniors.
Can you tell us more about why,why you think it's important to
(10:44):
to pair the services in community within
a building that offershousing and housing for seniors?
Well, Sara, I'm goingto preface my response with saying I'm
going to be careful with this answer,but I think this is a natural extension.
And I'm really hopeful that BC Housing,
(11:06):
now that they've had some experiencein working with other,
I want to use the term public body,but let's just
without with another organizationwith a different kind of mandate. I'm
hoping that there's been a wonderfulconnection of like-minded people,
at higher level.
(11:26):
I know that Foundry has definitely seen,
the partnershippotential with BC Housing.
And I'm really hoping, as an outsider, as,as the recipient
of the beneficence of public bodies,
I really hope that BC Housingsees the synergy
and the effectiveness of pairing andand partnering with organizations
(11:50):
like Foundry Centraland not for profits in the community
and how it can provide opportunities like this
that aren't necessarily boilerplateor cookie cutter
templates that they may havepreviously been used to using in
how they go about and provideservices for British Columbians.
(12:13):
Steve, I’d love your thoughts on this too.
I mean, out of all of the models,
what benefits doyou see and does Foundry
see with partnering servicesfor youth, with housing for seniors.
Why is that important?
I think it's important forfor a multitude of reasons.
One, we know with Foundry,we're looking for permanent homes
(12:33):
that are really intended to becomesocial assets and social amenities.
And sometimes that can be a challengewhen you're
dealing with landlords and you're dealingwith potentially short lease options.
It seems like every building in
BC is scheduled for demolitionat some point in the next 5 to 10 years.
So it's not always easyto, to find, a long term partner.
(12:57):
And we also know that this is,the Foundry model is something
that government,the province is committed to,
for more than just this generation.
So finding permanent homes, onesthat really are designed
with young people in mind, are criticaland ideal.
(13:18):
So when an opportunitylike this comes along
and we're looking at the possibilityof being on the ground floor
of a housing site,the housing site is going to be important
as a place to drawfolks to, as we've alluded to.
But it will also be importantfor young people to feel welcome there.
And there are certain combinationsof housing
(13:43):
that we feel are really conduciveto young people feeling welcome.
And I think that, having seniors housing,
where young people are
not likely to have conflictwith people in the housing,
and are likely to be able
to interactin a way that is intergenerational
and is respectful,I think is really important.
(14:05):
And potentially creates opportunitiesthat right now we don't have in
communities. We haven't necessarily seenin the last couple of generations,
young people having time with,
seniors or elders in their community.
And as we know,and what we're seeing now, obviously,
as we decolonize health care,
(14:26):
as we really seethe reemergence of Indigenous culture
as well as in Western culture, is thatthat relationship is really important.
It's one that I think, as,
to colonial organizations,
or settler organizations,I should say, we have a responsibility
to try to foster the opportunityfor young people to interact
(14:48):
with, with seniors in their communityand to see what that looks like.
We certainly know that, seniorstend to get up a lot earlier,
in the day than young people.
So there may be opportunitiesfor shared amenity space.
But there may also be opportunitiesfor mentorship moments that we're hoping
we can create.
In the years ahead.
(15:11):
So I think that's what we sawas an opportunity.
We've seen another project in Squamish,
where,
the, bottom floor is Foundry Squamish,or Foundry Sea to Sky
and the other levelsis low income housing.
And that seems to be working well.
So family, family housingand that seems to be working
(15:32):
well, also, so we're curiousto see what this model looks like.
When it rolls out.
Yeah.
I mean, there'ssome beautiful opportunities there
for youth to feel
really connected to a broader communityand to be able to learn from and
connect with elders directly on siteas part of an integrated community.
(15:54):
Michael, for our audience,can you talk to us a little bit
about the importance of that connection,
the intergenerational connectionspecifically for Terrace?
I think maybe some of our listeners
wouldn't know a lot about Terraceand specifically,
the importance of Terraceas a hub in, northwest BC.
So Terrace is obviously locatedin northwest BC.
(16:14):
We're on the western end of Highway 16,
about an hourand a half east of Prince Rupert.
So we're about an an hour and a bitfrom the coast to the hardcore coast,
Prince Rupert.We're also about 40 minutes
northish of Kitimat,which is on the ocean as well.
And we're about, about an hourand a bit outside of the Hazeltons.
(16:36):
So Terrace sits in a very geographically
central location for thispart of the world.
And this part of the world is very old,right?
The civilizations herehave been here for 30,000 years.
And so this is the meetingplace of the Gitxsan,
of the Tsimshian, of the Nisga'aof the Haisla.
There's so many nations that,
(16:59):
use this area together.
Now, this is,
traditional and uncededterritory of the Tsimshian people.
And so we predominantly, as a communitymembers, engage with the Tsimshian.
But as a regional area, it's
it's quite a union place.
(17:21):
And you can track that for BC
as a whole, everything that comes outof Rupert has to come through Terrace.
And so our community is fortunatethat it's multicultural
in many ways.It might not appear that way on
from a certain perspective,
but from another perspective, it's quite cosmopolitan.
(17:45):
And so bringing
these two populations together
in an intentional way is not,I think all that innovative.
I wish, I wish I could go,but I mean, there's evidence and studies
that have been trackingthis process for over 40 or 50 years.
(18:05):
Harvard, Stanford, even Simon Fraser has
has an intergenerational,
longitudinal studythat shows quite clearly
that when these two populationsare brought together intentionally and,
in a manner that they both feel safe,all of the outcomes,
nearly all of the outcomes for eitherpopulation are higher.
(18:28):
Right.
And so what that means for usis making sure
that each population is safeand population, each group of people
feel safe and secureand have their space.
And that if people don't want to engagewith each other, they don't need to.
That's not forced upon them.
There's no forced inclusion.
However,there will invariably be groups of people
(18:51):
from either of these groupsthat want to connect,
and it will be our jobto make sure that we find an intentional,
safe way for the wisdom and the
the benefits, those enormous
benefitsof having people who have experienced
the vicissitudes of lifeand have been able to get through it,
(19:14):
share how they do that with peoplewho are just starting out on the journey,
and for them to feel valuefrom each other.
Right.And so that's our intention.
That's our goal.
That's how it happened here in that
we have some real strong need,
for seniors housing in our community,our co-op has a ten year waiting list.
(19:38):
And so it's implausible.
Right. It's at an impasse.
And again, our community hasn't shone,
for, I would say, a broad spectrum,inclusive
youth program outreach support systemin a long time
and TDCSS had one going on the TerraceYouth Strategic Initiative.
(20:01):
We called it TYES,
and we had that running for about eight,nine years before we were fortunate
enough to get involved with Foundry,and that was it.
So we've known for some time that,
youth services, senior services,
there was real needin each of these areas. And,
(20:24):
bringing them together in this manner
is based on evidence, based on need.
And I know that the benefits,
the outcomes, will be betterand higher for each group.
And and so we're committed, right? TDCSS
as a community led organization,this is why we're here.
So we're inand that's why we've made the investment
(20:49):
to bring such,
a community asset to our city.
To put this all in context, there’s,what, 35 Foundry spaces,
across BC, you mentioned one other sitethat is partnered with housing.
Can you talk just a little bit about,from the Foundry's perspective,
how does this project play into the
(21:10):
to the broader visionfor the Foundry across BC?
And you know, what do you see as
the future, consideringthis project is part of the mix.
So thank you, Sara.
So right nowwe have 17 centres open, and we're
working with another 18 communitiesto identify spaces
for their Foundry centresso that we can open,
(21:30):
35 by, 2027 2028.
So what we are reallycurious about in this second
partnership is
what opportunities in the futuremay there be
with other similar
buildings or other similar initiativesand whether or not because
(21:52):
we're looking for spaces in,
larger urban centresand more rural communities.
Yeah. That's fantastic.
Michael, I'd like to wrapby asking you to look ahead.
Right.
So just outside of your window,or maybe it's outside of your door.
You've got a building under constructionright now.
Of course, this place is not open yet.
(22:13):
So if you look ahead towhen that building is opened,
which right now is lookinglike some point in 2026,
what do you thinkthat's going to mean for community?
Can you describe what you thinkit will look like for you
to be walking in
and for community members to be walkingin the doors of that building in 2026?
Sara.It's right in the centre of town, right?
I mean, this is one of the thingsthat we knew would make it special
(22:34):
is that this resource, this communityresources in the centre of our community.
Neither group has to go far.
They're not excluded.
They're not shunted out to some part of
the community where no one sees themor where it's hard to get to.
This is as accessibleas Terrance can make it.
And so this is a legacy resource, right?
(22:58):
I mean, I bored Steve and his team.
Oh my goodness.
This is going to be such an incrediblelong standing generations.
And that's what it's going to be.
I mean, the, the youth
who are using our services nowand whose lives are becoming
(23:18):
positively impactedby all of the positive things
that happen at a Foundry, they very maywell end up living on top of that house.
That building, when it's their turn.
And to be able to give somebodyin your community
that kind of continuity of care,continuity of belonging,
(23:39):
connection to the heart oftheir community, that makes me feel good.
I can go to bed at night.
I mean, it's just it's
just such a significant win for Terraceand the whole community
that’s behind it.
Our municipality, local
politicians and community leaders saw
how valuablesomething like this would be.
(24:02):
And I know that in the years to come,
it will just continue to be a sourceand a place of safety and
and positive energy,for lack of a better term.
Sorry.
I wish I could make
it sound like super fantastic,but in essence, that's what it is.
It's just this enormous,incredible resource that will be able
(24:27):
to bring positive outcomes
for a whole spectrum of life cycle.
Right?
I mean, that'sjust that's a positive thing.
It's not just for this part of your life,
for that part of your life,or for people who are doing this.
It's for everybody.
And the more that we can incorporatethat into our wellness models,
(24:51):
holistic, integrated, connection.
I would love to see a Foundry
BC model for senior citizens/
And that's what I see.
This building, this asset is,you know, that's
what we're hoping it's going to do,is to show the way for our province
(25:12):
that we can do this and that this modelhas applications everywhere.
Yeah.
Well, it's a really excitingand positive model.
And I can't wait to see what happens.
When the when the new site opens.
Steve, Michael, thank you so muchfor joining us on the podcast today.
(25:32):
Let's talk again soon.
To learn more about BC Housing,including how to apply for
subsidized housing in BritishColumbia, visit bchousing.org.
You can also find uson Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
If you enjoyed this episode,give us a rating.
This will help others find
(25:53):
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