The Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre (CFEC) is taking steps to ensure its long-term viability after losing access to key government funding.
For over 35 years now the CFEC has been a mainstay of the community providing access to family services, counselling services and youth services, as well as sponsoring several community programs and initiatives. However, the current political and economic uncertainty caused by the Canada-U.S. Trade War has led to the abrupt ending of several government programs the CFEC relied upon to provide their services free of charge to the community. CFEC executive director Jess Fraser said she is applying for grants and planning fundraisers to make ends meet and is hoping the community will help keep their programs running.
"This is just not happening here in 100 Mile but literally across the country. Most community social services organizations do provide free services to the most vulnerable people in the community," Fraser said. "Due to the current political climate, several contracts and funding sources have either been capped or been ended as of March 31, 2025. It has left community social service organizations scrambling because we found out at such a late date. It's a significant amount of funding that puts all community service organizations at risk."
Fraser said there had been hints some of the contracts and programs the CFEC relied on for funding would come to an end but for others, they only found out about the cuts in February of this year. This meant Fraser is now scrambling to find as many alternate sources of funding as she can.
The main program currently threatened is the CFEC's free counselling services. The CFEC offers individual anger management, anxiety, depression, boundary setting and basic grief and loss counselling services, as well as group and family counselling including parent-teen mediation, conflict resolution and communication skills. These services were funded through a Community Counselling Grant provided through the Community Action Initiative which the CFEC has received for several years.
To try and make ends meet, Fraser said they've already begun to tighten the belt. Fraser had to lay off one of the CFEC's full-time counsellors and cut back on the hours of all full-time employees, including herself. While this has helped stabilize them temporarily, she noted it is not a long-term solution.
"With the loss of these funds, it extends our waiting list for counselling services to a year, which is unacceptable. Our motto is to provide immediate services in whatever way best suits an individual's needs," Fraser explained, adding the cuts have put a tight squeeze on the CFEC's other programs like their Family Services and the Raven Youth Centre.
The only service the CFEC operates not currently impacted by these cuts is the CFEC Early Care and Learning Centre. Unlike the others, the daycare is a paid service.
Fraser said in addition to applying for grants, she is in talks with community groups for potential fundraisers they could run together to support the CFEC. She's also talked to Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson and is teaming up with the Canadian Mental Health Association South Cariboo Branch to apply for grants together.
"What I would like to do is create a sustainable future for this organization and to do so it's really important to diversify funding since we are a non-profit and a registered charity," Fraser said. "I am reaching out to the community, all social service clubs, businesses and individuals who are looking for places to contribute."
As a charity Fraser said CFEC can offer charitable tax receipts for all donations, which can be done by either dropping off money or a cheque in person or doing an e-transfer online via the CFEC's website's donate button. Fraser has signed herself up to make a monthly contribution, which is another option, for as little as $5 a month or $60 throughout the year.
She also welcomes donations of food and supplies they could use to support the Raven Youth Centre or give to families in need. They are specifically looking for donations of guitars for the youth centre and funding to provide nutritious snacks for the children and youth who use the space.
When asked how many more months the CFEC could operate without serious issues, Fraser said she knows the exact figure but isn't able to disclose it at this time. She did confirm, however, that the organization can't sustain itself long-term.
"Can we survive another year? The answer is no with our current funding services and that's unacceptable," Fraser confirmed.
Fraser also noted again the challenges the CFEC is facing are not unique. She said she is aware of many other community-based social services and non-profits who were also caught off guard by the sudden capping of so many federal government programs. In her view social services are being forgotten right now and any closure of services or entire organizations will directly hurt the most vulnerable in Canadian society.
Some of the funding she has applied for is already being inundated by hundreds of other requests from similar organizations. For example, Fraser told the 100 Mile Free Press she has applied to the Vancouver Foundation for a three-year grant but knows that about 1,200 other applicants have done the same. The competition is fierce as the Vancouver Foundation can only provide funding to 50 of these applicants.
"I do anticipate many communities losing some of their non-profit organizations that serve vulnerable people," Fraser remarked. "I'm very determined that CFEC (won't) be one of them."
Anyone who is looking to donate to the CFEC or has ideas for how the CFEC could raise funds is invited to come by the CFEC's office at 486 Birch Avenue Number 1 and talk with Fraser. She can also be contacted at 250-395-5155 or jfraser@cariboofamily.org.
"It would be wonderful for the community to buy into this place."
