Province pulls funding for Kelowna family resource centre, which is now relying on fundraising, grants

The future of the Central Okanagan Family Hub is uncertain after the provincial government recently announced it would be pulling funding from the centre.

Now the facility in Kelowna, B.C., is relying on fundraising and good news from grant proposals to be able to continue providing its services.

The Central Okanagan Family Hub is described as a one-stop shop for family support services, including on-site parent and child programs, referrals for family physicians, child behaviour support, counselling, and emergency shelter and food.

"It's a lot of young families," said Samantha Haas, who runs a morning program at the hub, about the centre's regular visitors.

"We also have a lot of immigrant families who are new to Kelowna and don't necessarily have the support or the connections, so they come here and they make those connections, they meet those people and they form a community."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Children and Family Development told CBC that because the hub operates more as a coordination centre than a specific resource, that funding is being "redirected" into what families need.

"We heard from families that they wanted more direct access to early-years services and supports such as family and child drop-in-programs, early learning services, and other direct supports," the ministry said in an emailed statement.  

While the hub waits for news on grant proposals and other fundraising efforts, staffing has been reduced so that the centre can remain open.

"We will continue to use the funds that have come in to make sure that we provide this vital service to families in the community until there ceases to be any funds," said Katelin Mitchell, director of services with Kelowna Community Resources.

Mitchell remains optimistic that the appropriate funding will come through in order to operate the centre at full capacity, year-round. She said it needs about $100,000 per year to serve 4,000 hub users. 

Hub user and mother-of-two Lisa Currier isn't sure where she's going to take her kids now that the hub's future is uncertain.

"It's frustrating because it's a place to come on any morning," she said. "It's five days a week, it's a safe place, when it's really hot outside we can come in here, or when it's really cold."

Lianna Werstuik, who cares for five children, said she was devastated to hear the hub may have to close.

"It keeps me sane," she said. "Having five kids in my little place sometimes is a lot and a place like this gives new toys, gives them something to look forward to. They love it."