A new accessible community centre is coming to Fort St. John, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Northern Healthy Communities Fund.
The centre will include a community café, sensory room, art space, commercial kitchen, boardroom and counselling space. Entrances, exits and restrooms will be fully accessible.
The Fort St. John Association for Community Living (FSJACL) received the funding as part of a provincial initiative supporting projects led by local governments, First Nations and non-profit organizations across northern B.C., according to the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs. The Peace River Regional District also received funding through the program.
“It needed to happen – but (we asked ourselves) ‘where were we going to come up with the funds to support it?’ When we got the call on the same day that we were celebrating our 65 years in the community, it just seemed very fitting and it was incredible encouragement,” said Jared Braun, the stewardship manager at the FSJACL.
The new centre will be in a renovated 100 Avenue location. Before work began, the administrative office staff moved to the association’s new space on 104 Avenue.
“As needs (grew) and that space became too small, it was not as functional as we needed it to be and so that’s what led to the vision to convert it to be a fully functional community centre,” said Braun. “An added piece is that we are doing a full exterior renovation as well. It’ll get a nice, new facelift.”
The facility’s sensory room will be the first publicly available space of its kind in the city. These rooms offer controlled, calming environments designed to help people engage their senses.
The centre will also house a community café led by a local business. Braun said he could not yet disclose which one. Individuals supported through FSJACL’s employment program will work in the café.
Beyond their work at the centre, the FSJACL offers perspective for those interested in boosting accessibility. One group who consults them regularly is the city of Fort St John, Braun said.
“A lot of the work that’s happened, particularly downtown, with some of the street and sidewalk development over the last number of years, have been some really positive accessibility developments for people,” he explained.
Braun said the city recently joined the association on a walk around downtown where they pointed out spots, including stairs, narrow doorways, and other barriers to accessibility.
