Foundry North Okanagan
Your investment. Their future. Our community.
A Solution for North Okanagan Youth
Young people in the North Okanagan are facing increasing mental health, substance use, and wellness challenges, and too often, the help they need is fragmented, hard to find, or comes too late.
Foundry North Okanagan will change that.
With your support, we can bring compassionate, accessible, life-changing care together under one roof, for youth and young adults when they need it most.
A Solution for North Okanagan Youth
Young people in the North Okanagan are facing increasing mental health, substance use, and wellness challenges, and too often, the help they need is fragmented, hard to find, or comes too late.
Foundry North Okanagan will change that.
With your support, we can bring compassionate, accessible, life-changing care together under one roof, for youth and young adults when they need it most.
Watch Us Grow!
We have currently raised $5M towards our goal of $8.5M.
About Foundry
Foundry offers free and confidential mental health and wellness services for youth ages 12-24 in British Columbia and their families.
What Is Foundry?
Foundry is a proven, province-wide model that brings essential services together in one welcoming, youth-friendly space. For youth and young adults aged 12–24, Foundry provides:
- Mental health supports
- Substance use services
- Primary care
- Social services
- Family and peer supports
More than a building, Foundry is a promise: that young people in our region will not have to navigate complex systems alone to get help.
Foundry centres already operating across BC are showing what’s possible. Now, the North Okanagan is ready.
All services are free, integrated, and low barrier, reducing stigma and removing obstacles to care.
Filling the Gaps in Rural Communities
Foundry North Okanagan will extend beyond the City of Vernon.
Across the North Okanagan, many young people face barriers to care simply because of where they live. Distance, limited transportation, and fragmented services mean that too many youth struggle without timely support.
Foundry North Okanagan will help close these gaps by reaching youth across the region, not just within one city. Working alongside existing community resources—schools, Indigenous partners, health centres, and local organizations—Foundry will strengthen and connect the supports already in place rather than duplicate them.
“A caring and trusted, knowledgeable professional is there for my daughter and is activiely and genuinely making a difference and fully understands her!”
Brian, Caregiver
%
of mental illnesses develop before the age of 24, and overdoses are the number 1 cause of death in young people in BC aged 10-19
With donor support, Foundry North Okanagan will:
Improve access for youth in rural and underserved communities
Coordinate care across communities so young people don’t fall through gaps
Support outreach, mobile, and virtual options for those unable to travel
Strengthen local capacity through collaboration and shared expertise
Your gift helps ensure that no young person is left behind because of geography.
What Will the Impact of Foundry North Okanagan Be?
Your generosity will help build something that lasts—something that changes lives, families, and our community for generations.
With Foundry North Okanagan, your support will help:
- Intervene earlier, preventing crisis and long term harm
- Reduce emergency visits and hospitalizations by providing timely support
- Improve access to care for youth facing financial, cultural, or geographic barriers
- Create a safe and welcoming space where youth feel seen, respected, and supported
- Strengthen families and caregivers through coordinated, wraparound services
Every dollar invested helps ensure young people can get help before reaching a breaking point—creating ripple effects that strengthen schools, workplaces, and the entire region.
After Accessing Foundry Services, Youth Report:
While We Wait: Supporting Youth Today Through YISH
While we work toward opening Foundry North Okanagan, Youth Integrated Services Hub (YISH) partners are already responding to urgent needs in our community.
YISH services reflect the same values and approach as Foundry—integrated, youth-centred, and collaborative—and are helping us build the foundation for long-term success. Your support today helps sustain:
- Mental health and wellness supports
- Substance use services
- Youth outreach and navigation
- Peer-led and culturally informed care
- Strong partnerships across the North Okanagan
Giving now means youth don’t have to wait for care in Enderby, Armstrong, Coldstream, Lumby and Cherryville.
How You Can Get Involved
Foundry North Okanagan will only become a reality through community generosity and leadership.
You can make a difference by:
- Making a financial contribution to the Foundry North Okanagan campaign
- Becoming a campaign champion within your network or organization
- Partnering as a business, foundation, or service provider
- Sharing your lived experience as a youth, caregiver, or community member
- Advocating for youth mental health in the North Okanagan
Every gift—large or small—moves us closer to opening the doors.
“Foundry provides access to all kinds of services. I feel at peace knowing that as things change with me I could still come to Foundry for help.”
Kylie, Foundry
Learn more about campaign opportunities
Contact us to explore partnership and naming opportunities
Together, we can build a place where hope begins, healing happens, and young people thrive.
Thank You to Our Generous Donors
If you are a youth or youth caregiver in need of assistance.
For a crisis emergency
call or text 9-8-8 now.
For non-emergency assistance please contact the Youth Integrated Services Hub:
Phone – (236) 426-1403
Email – [email protected]
Interested in supporting this project? Learn more by contacting:
[email protected]
Or call the CMHA Vernon Fundraising team at
250.542.3114