More than 100 people turned up to an open house in Prince George on Wednesday, to share their perspectives on the development of an involuntary care centre in the city.
The former Prince George Youth Custody Centre will be renovated into a 72-bed treatment centre, the province previously announced.
Social workers, Indigenous peoples and people with lived experience were invited to share their perspectives on what they want to see in the new facility.
“There’s simply not enough here in the north,” said Jennifer Duff, Chief Operating Officer for B.C. Mental Health and Substance Use Services, who organized the event.
She said the goal is to use the feedback gathered to inform programming, as well as the design and feel of the facility.
“Right now, it looks like a youth detention centre,” Duff said. “We want the opposite of that. We want our clients and patients to roam about the facility freely. And so, we’re really looking for feedback on how we decolonize, essentially, the facility and make it therapeutic.”