Family Place Resource Centre (Family Place) has settled into a new, temporary space in Powell River Town Centre Mall.
The community hub, run by Lift Community Services (Lift), recently moved from its previous location kitty-corner from Save-On-Foods to the former The Source storefront, according to a media release from Lift. The centre’s first day in its new space will be January 16. Town Centre Mall has donated the space temporarily while Lift continues to seek a long-term location for the program, the release stated.
“We are extremely grateful to Town Centre Mall for the continued support of our program,” stated Lift community support manager Jessica Colasanto. “We’ve been here in the mall for the past 20 years and it’s wonderful to have a sense of continuity while we seek out long-term program space.”
The release stated that Family Place has been running since 2004, offering drop-in play time for babies and toddlers, workshops and education series for parents of young children, a demonstration kitchen where meals are prepared and shared, and a food pantry and hygiene cupboard filled with items for families to take home — all free of charge. Approximately 50 local families access the resource centre at any given time, the release stated.
Funding for Family Place comes from the provincial family resource program stream, and an ongoing challenge for Lift and other organizations delivering these programs has been lack of funding increases to match inflation, market rents and cost of living increases, according to the release. Lift continues to work with local and provincial partners to find ways to maximize the program deliverables within its budget constraints.
"We are so touched by the community support we’ve received as we search for our forever home for this program,” stated Colasanto. “We heard from so many families and service providers who recognize the importance of this program in the community. We’re confident we will be able to find a permanent, sustainable home for Family Place so we can continue to provide these supports for another 20 years.”
Starting January 16, Family Place will be open for drop-in support from Tuesdays to Thursdays, from 10 am to 2pm. Additional support is available by appointment. Contact [email protected] for more information.
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