Vancouver building valued at $13 million gifted to support youth with substance use
VANCOUVER — An organization that offers free mental health support and substance use care for youth will be able to expand its services to a new building in downtown Vancouver, thanks to a more than $13-million donation from a private foundation.
The Foundry says the four-storey building, nestled between boutiques, restaurants and luxury units in Vancouver’s high-end Yaletown neighbourhood, has been gifted by a private foundation to help teens and young people.
The Foundry says in a news release that the donation gives them a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rewrite the future of youth mental health care” in Vancouver, as the building will be transformed into “B.C.’s most comprehensive youth wellness centre.”
The group says the gift from donors who want to be anonymous comes at a “critical moment” when youth mental health challenges are escalating and toxic drug overdoses are the leading cause of death among youth between 10 and 19 in B.C.
