SOS Children's Village BC (British Columbia)

SOS Children’s Village British Columbia (Canada) Society (SOS BC) was incorporated in 1986 and has operated our campus since 1999. The Village, our flagship program based in Surrey, was created as a grass roots response to the unmet needs of children and youth in the provincial foster care system; namely the frequent placement breakdowns and moves for children and youth in foster care, and the separation of siblings into different homes. The Village’s unique model is based on dynamics implemented by Hermann Gmeiner, the founder of SOS Children’s Villages International. Our elements for success continue to be based on Gmeiner’s beliefs that a loving consistent family, home, and community create a circle of healing, belonging, support, and positive growth for children in need. By establishing this circle of healing, children develop resilience and renewed hope leading to their future successes. The SOS BC continuum of service provides counselling, art therapy, neurofeedback training, and more to allow youth (many of whom have mental conditions) to recover from their traumatic past. We also provide specialized support to Village Caregivers. Our Village comprises 12 homes with 14 Caregivers and 45 children. We own and oversee 5 foster homes and a Village Centre on our wooded 2.5 acre campus site, with the other seven homes integrated in the surrounding geographic area. We are also adding 5 much-needed transition suites for youth who age out of the foster care system at age 19. We are well on the way to becoming the first Developmental, Interactive, and Therapeutic Village in the SOS world, providing unprecedented support to the children and caregivers utilizing a trauma-informed approach. Our outreach programs to foster children in the local community - including Transition to Adulthood, Learning Clubs, Sounds of Learning, and Camps/Recreation/Culture - reach an additional 400 children.