A major philanthropic gift is set to dramatically expand youth mental health and addictions treatment services in British Columbia, following the donation of a four-storey downtown Vancouver building valued at more than $13.8 million to support Foundry’s work with young people.
The building, located at 1220 Homer St. in Yaletown, has been donated to St. Paul’s Foundation for use by Foundry, a province-wide network providing free health and wellness services to youth aged 12 to 24.
The donor, a private foundation that wishes to remain anonymous, made the contribution to help address rising mental health needs among young people across the province.
The property is located near the southwest corner of the intersection of Davie Street and Homer Street — half a city block from Yaletown-Roundhouse Station on SkyTrain’s Canada Line.
This new replacement and expanded location is also near Foundry’s existing downtown Vancouver location at 1260 Granville St. (on Drake Street), which opened a decade ago.
The Yaletown property was originally constructed in 1947 as an industrial warehouse and underwent an extensive revitalization and transformation in 2000, when it was renovated and reconfigured into modern office space tailored to the needs of the prominent Vancouver architectural firm Perkins&Will. The firm occupied the building until relocating to the Arthur Erickson Place office tower in 2024.
1220 Homer St., Vancouver. (Google Maps)
1220 Homer St., Vancouver. (Google Maps)
Existing condition of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for its previous use as the Perkins&Will office. (Kim Muise/Perkins&Will)
Existing condition of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for its previous use as the Perkins&Will office. (Kim Muise/Perkins&Will)
Existing condition of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for its previous use as the Perkins&Will office. (Kim Muise/Perkins&Will)
Existing condition of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for its previous use as the Perkins&Will office. (Kim Muise/Perkins&Will)
$7-million fundraising campaign to double the size of Foundry’s downtown Vancouver location
Following a forthcoming multi-million dollar renovation project, the 20,000 sq. ft. building will become Foundry’s most comprehensive youth wellness hub in B.C. The new space will be twice the size of Foundry’s current Granville/Drake location, serving downtown Vancouver, significantly increasing its capacity to meet growing demand.
Much of the building’s already-warm and inviting character stems from the thoughtful renovation previously undertaken by Perkins&Will for its own use.
Artistic renderings of Foundry’s planned conversion — designed by Michael Green Architecture — show that many of the existing interior design’s defining architectural elements will be preserved, including the central atrium with its skylight and the expansive four-storey living green wall featuring real plants. There will also be access to an outdoor amenity space on the building’s rooftop.
The B.C. government has committed $1.5 million toward the renovation, while the federal government is supporting the initiative through the Youth Mental Health Fund. St. Paul’s Foundation is leading a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $7 million over the next year to complete the renovation. If all goes as planned with fundraising, the new centre is expected to open in late 2026.
Concept of the renovation of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for Foundry’s use. (Michael Green Architecture/Foundry/St. Paul’s Foundation)
Concept of the renovation of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for Foundry’s use. (Foundry/St. Paul’s Foundation)
Concept of the renovation of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for Foundry’s use. (Michael Green Architecture/Foundry/St. Paul’s Foundation)
“We have an opportunity to provide twice as much room for life-changing services,” says Steve Mathias, Executive Director at Foundry.
“This means more room for group therapy, life-skills programming and life-saving mental health and substance use care support to connect and decrease social isolation. This building makes all of that possible.”
The larger space also enables Foundry to bring its research and evaluation teams under one roof.
For Amanda Horne, a peer support worker and former Foundry client, the expansion represents more than bricks and mortar.
“Foundry has always been there for me,” says Horne. “From being a former client at ICY and watching it evolve into Foundry, to now working as an employee, I am immensely grateful for all the support I have received. As a client, Foundry helped me learn to understand and manage my diagnosis to the best of my ability, which helped me become a better version of myself. Now, working with youth, I feel privileged to be able to give back what was so given to me.”
Concept of the renovation of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for Foundry’s use. (Michael Green Architecture/Foundry/St. Paul’s Foundation)
Concept of the renovation of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for Foundry’s use. (Michael Green Architecture/Foundry/St. Paul’s Foundation)
Concept of the renovation of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for Foundry’s use. (Michael Green Architecture/Foundry/St. Paul’s Foundation)
“A powerful precedent for Canada”
The expansion comes amid mounting concerns about youth mental health.
One-in-four Canadians aged 15 to 24 is affected by mental health or substance use challenges, while toxic drug overdoses remain the leading cause of death among youth aged 10 to 19 in B.C. Half of the young people accessing Foundry services report having thought about suicide in the past 90 days.
In a statement, the anonymous donor said their decision was driven by Foundry’s integrated, youth-focused approach.
“Our mission is to help those who help others, and the team at Foundry are exactly those people,” the statement reads.
“Their strong, compassionate leadership recognizes not only the need but the incredible opportunity that comes from providing integrated healthcare and mental health support to youth in a peer-focused environment.”
Concept of the renovation of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for Foundry’s use. (Michael Green Architecture/Foundry/St. Paul’s Foundation)
Concept of the renovation of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for Foundry’s use. (Michael Green Architecture/Foundry/St. Paul’s Foundation)
Concept of the renovation of 1220 Homer St., Vancouver, for Foundry’s use. (Michael Green Architecture/Foundry/St. Paul’s Foundation)
St. Paul’s Foundation president and CEO Sheila Biggers said the donation to her organization represents a milestone for youth mental health care in the province.
“This milestone marks an exciting chapter in transforming youth mental health and wellness in our province, and sets a powerful precedent for Canada,” said Biggers.
“Together, we are building a future for young people to gain greater access to the care and support they need during the most pivotal time of their lives.”