Arrow & Slocan Lakes Community Services was incorporated as a provincial non-profit society in 1974 and as a federally Registered Charitable Organization in 1983.

The Society was originally formed to deliver homemaker services to the Nakusp area, and since then has grown to become a multi-program agency encompassing Arrow, Slocan and Trout Lakes region from Edgewood to Nakusp to Silverton.

About 6,000 people live and work in the area, and ASLCS  services impact a wide range of the local population, from children to seniors.

Our vision is for a happy, healthy community — providing community based social service solutions such as affordable housing, outreach employment and regional transit.

Boundary Family Services is a nonprofit society which provides a wide variety of programs to meet children, youth, and family’s interests and needs.

Boundary Family Services (BFS) is dedicated to providing participants with high quality services using a person centred approach that empowers them to define and set goals and assists them to build on their personal strengths and supports.

Mission Statement

We build partnerships with families and community by delivering services which enrich lives and shape our future.

A Boundary Family Centre is located in each Elementary School from Christina Lake to Beaverdell with the main hub being the Glanville Family Centre in Grand Forks.

The staff and board of Castlegar & District Community Services Society are dedicated to their clients and community.

To achieve our Mission, we deliver a wide range of counselling and supports to individuals and families. We are also active participants in collaborative projects with our partners in community.

The Circle of Indigenous Nations is an Aboriginal non-profit society that offers cultural services that supports mental health and addictions recovery. They currently deliver services in Nakusp, Grand Forks, Trail, Nelson and Castlegar.

They provide cultural case management and support as well as offering a traditional talking circle twice per month in each community that focuses on addictions and recovery support using traditional ways.

The Columbia Valley Family Resource Society has been working with families in the Elk Valley and South Country since 2002. They strive to work with existing services in the area to promote strength and wellness to all families.

They provide support and assistance to families as well as providing programs and services that encourage safe and healthy families:

• Mandated Family Support, Child & Youth Care and Supervised Access
• Voluntary Family Support, Child & Youth Care
• Work for Independent Skills Program (WISP)
• Support to Children & Youth with Special Needs (CYSN)
• Support to Adults with Developmental Disabilities
• Sexual Abuse Prevention Program (SAIP)
• Family Counselling
• Lifeskills Group
• Three Sisters Clubhouse

Established as a non-profit agency in 2013, FAN is a regional coalition focused on developing caring communities in ways that a) actively support families to live an optimum life experience, particularly families with young children; and b) ensure that community agencies throughout our region, and beyond, leverage and invest resources where they will have the most positive return for families.   The Lower Columbia Region, our primary operating geography, includes the five municipalities of Fruitvale, Montrose, Rossland, Trail and Warfield, as well as Kootenay Boundary Regional District Electoral Areas A and B.  https://familyactionnetwork.ca/regional-services/

Freedom Quest Youth Services Society provides free, community-based,

client-centered, low-barrier, confidential, voluntary, and non-judgmental services

and programming to youth & families who are negatively impacted by substance use in

the West Kootenay Boundary Region. Freedom Quest supports young people & their

families in experiencing new opportunities, overcoming barriers, preventing further

adversity, building positive relationships, and developing the confidence and skills

for life.

For information on Freedom Quest’s current services & programming, please have a

look at their website: www. freedomquestyouthservices.ca

Kaslo Community Services (formerly North Kootenay Lake Community Services Society) is a non-profit, multi-service organization located in Kaslo. The Society’s mission is to develop and provide services and programs which contribute to a thriving community and enhance the quality of life for North Kootenay Lake residents.

Many different programs and services are offered through this agency, including:

• Community Counselling,
• Addictions and Alcohol Counselling,
• Children and Youth Counselling,
• Victims assistance and counselling,
• Family support,
• Family Centre Lifeline, a personal emergency call button available to elderly or ill persons living alone, and
• Safe Home, a refuge for women and their children leaving an abusive relationship.

The experts at Kootenay Career Development Society – KCDS have their fingers on the pulse of employment support programs, training and education. The team puts together job seekers and employers, helping them both achieve their goals.

KCDS is committed to diversity, inclusion and respect. This means:

• Hiring employees who represent the population we serve
• Removing barriers that may prevent equitable employment
• Supporting respectful work environments where everyone feels included and able to produce excellent results

To support employment equity and diversity in the workplace, we welcome applicants from all groups. This includes women, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, or expressions, (LGBTQ2S+) and others who may contribute to the diversity of KCDS.

Kootenay Family Place (KFP) was incorporated in Castlegar on January 17, 1972 as a non-profit organization with charitable status. At that time the society had four staff and provided a small child care program called Hobbit Hill Children’s Centre.

KFP now offers 14 different programs in five locations. KFP employs over 45 full and part time staff who serve children, youth and families throughout the West Kootenay and Boundary Region.

The Kootenay Kids Society in Nelson provides services and programs designed to help parents give their children the best start possible.

They are a community based non-profit society focusing on the early years, with programs serving the needs of children, parents and caregivers through education, support and childcare centres.

Nelson CARES Society  works to build a healthy and inclusive community where respect for all individuals is an ordinary, everyday occurrence.

Since it opened its doors in 1974, the organization has grown into one of Nelson’s largest and most diverse non-profit organizations. The agency acts as a catalyst for community and program development, and advocates for people living in poverty.

NCARES supports a wide variety of community programs and services including affordable rental housing; an emergency shelter; residential and employment services for adults with diverse abilities; legal information and victim services.

Its value is in its name Nelson CARES Society…

Community:  Its programs are defined by people of this community, for this community, and with their support and participation.

Advocacy:  for people trying to navigate through the complexities of the government and legal systems to exercise their rights, and to support victims of violence.

Residential: for people without a home, those struggling to afford one, and those who need support to live independently.

Employment and Inclusion: creating opportunities so people facing barriers to work can find a job that enriches their lives.

Services: designed to empower people who want support to make a better world for themselves and their families.

Nelson CARES Society is funded through government, private foundations, and the generous donations of countless individual Nelson residents.

Nelson Community Services (NCS) believes that all individuals and families, at some time, experience difficulties in their lives and that they have an inherent right to be heard and to be supported. Our relational approach to service delivery is respectful of each person’s identity, issues, strengths, culture, needs, and choices. NCS works in collaboration with government and other local and regional organizations to respond to the changing needs in our community.

The Nelson Community Services is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).

The agency provides the following services:

• Individual, couple and family counselling
• Counselling for children and  youth
• Counselling for women and women’s outreach programs
• Parenting program
• Family support program
• Behavioural outreach consulting program
• Aimee Beaulieu Transition House (emergency shelter and support services for abused women and their children)
• Cicada Place (10 units of transitional housing for youth ages 16-22 years to help prepare them for independence)

The Nelson and District Women’s Centre provides a welcoming space, support, and free resources for women to learn, connect, and become empowered in their own lives and engaged in their community.

For over 40 years, the Nelson and District Women’s Centre has worked to build healthy community by playing a positive role in the lives of women and families and advancing gender equality. Their umbrella organization, the West Kootenay Women’s Association, is a registered charity founded in 1972. That makes the Nelson Women’s Centre the longest-running rural women’s centre in Canada! To learn more about the history of the West Kootenay Women’s Association and the Women’s Centre, visit their website at nelsonwomenscentre.com.

The Women’s Centre is located in Nelson and serves the West Kootenay region. The WKWA acknowledges that the Women’s Centre is located on unceded Indigenous territory belonging to the Sinixt Nation.

Robson Valley Community Services (RVCS) is a charitable organization dedicated to strengthening all individuals, families, and communities by providing programs and services, and by collaborating within a rural environment.

Salmo Community Resource Society (SCRS) develops, delivers, and maintains a broad range of services that help individuals and families in the Salmo area deal effectively with personal, social, and poverty-related issues.

The Society’s Vision is

• To provide a facility that is fully accessible and suited to the needs of participants and staff.
• To  build on current programs, based on priorities established by service providers and community members in the Salmo area.
• To work in partnership with the people and organizations in the Salmo area.

Trail Family and Individual Resource Centre (Trail F.A.I.R Society) has been offering free, confidential, professional services for members of the community since 1977.

• For parents they have childcare referrals and resources, parenting workshops, family counseling, and – for families requiring more intensive support – family and children’s support programs.

• For parents or other caregivers of pre-school children they have drop-in playgroups.

• For pregnant women and their partners, they have a pregnancy outreach program.

• For children they have counseling and groups.

• For community members experiencing dental pain or infection, they have the Dental Access Fund.

• For individuals with mental health or addiction concerns, their families and friends they have a Mental Health and Addictions Peer Support and Advocate Program.

• For anyone who has experienced relationship violence, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, or stalking they have a Specialized Victim Services program.

• For women and for children who have experienced or witnessed abuse they have shelter, specialized victim assistance, and counseling programs.

• For anyone in crisis, needing information, or a non-judgmental person to talk to about a problem, they have a regional 24-hour crisis line.

• Community Services Directory.

W.E. Graham Community Service Society (WEG) provides programs and services that actively engage individuals and families in the Slocan Valley. We facilitate lifelong learning opportunities for all community members. We also provide leadership in community, economic and social development.