Kelowna's Foundry is pictured in this 2017 file photo.

(JENNA HICKMAN / iNFOnews.ca)

A Kamloops non-profit is finally preparing to open a youth care facility two years after it was announced.

Interior Community Services now has a downtown location lined up for Foundry Kamloops, courtesy of the Desert Gardens Seniors' Community Centre, according to a recent news release.

“Our community and youth engagement groups identified the downtown core as the ideal location to deliver Foundry Kamloops programming. This location is perfectly situated, accessible, and visible,” Interior Community Services executive officer said in the release.

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It will be one of several across the province, supported by BC Children's Hospital. Other locations across the province include six in the Lower Mainland and one in each Kelowna, Penticton and Prince George.

Interior Community Services got the funding in 2022 with a $1 million start-up fund from the province and a promise for annual operational funding. The centre, meant to deliver social and health services to young people between 12 and 24, was delayed as the non-profit sought to find a location.

"This partnership is the true definition of community, and we could not think of a better way to honour the legacy of the Seniors' Community Centre," Penny Ouchi, president of the seniors centre, said in the news release.

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Interior Community Services is now campaigning to raise $4 million to renovate the donated space. It has already secured $1.5 million and plans to collect the remaining $2.5 million within the next year. It's expected to open by the summer of 2026 after finalizing a design and subsequent construction, according to associate executive officer Sadie Hunter.

"Youth and caregiver feedback is clear: having a place like Foundry Kamloops in our community is critical," Foundry manager Lisa Johannesen said in the news release.

The fundraiser can be found online here.

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