• Municipal Alcohol Policy (MAP) Survey
• Current Volunteer Opportunities

New Proposed Location for WCSS

Whistler Community Services Society(WCSS) is on the move with a proposal before the Resort Municipality of Whistler to rent the long empty building that used to hold the Spring Creek Daycare.  The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation and the Whistler Children's Centre have endorsed this move.

How does this benefit the Community? 

1. WCSS gives other non-profit groups free or low cost meeting space.

2. WCSS is advocating to have a bus stop remain in Spring Creek.

3. WCSS offers family programs like Community Kitchens, the NEW Food Buying Club, Support Network of Whistler life coaching, Parenting Single programs and Employment Counselling with Training Innovations.

4. The Howe Sound Women's Centre will be located here with a drop in centre and information and counseling for all Whistler women.

5. The building will house speakers sessions, information for families, volunteer events and provide a place that the community can meet.

A larger facility in Spring Creek would provide: 

WCSS the opportunity to consider new programming that continues to enrich community life for Whistler residents. It also offers potential space at the south end of the community for other non-profit groups in Whistler to use for meetings, programs and services.  Room would be offered free or at a nominal fee to help cover operational costs. 

The building would become a central hub for community programming, which contributes to a vibrant and healthy community.

• Outreach workers to conduct and expand programs such as the very successful Peer Educator program, Drug and Alcohol Education sessions, and the Tax Assistance program that helps prepare returns for low income earners.
• The essential food bank program that has recently expanded to every Monday morning from 10a.m.-12pm. The facility offers an opportunity for food bank users to access the program in a discreet manner, and keeps them out of the weather.  A separate entrance allows the program to run independently. There is plenty of storage to increase food supplies to meet the high demands the program is experiencing in the last several years. The kitchen space would greatly enhance the food bank operations. In the current site there is no water or bathroom available. 
• The Support Network of Whistler (SNOW) - a life skills training program; the Parenting Single support program and the “Food Buying Club”, Community Kitchens among many others... 

The Howe Sound Women`s Centre`s mission is to “promote women’s equality and empowerment”.  HSWC is proposing a new Whistler Drop In Centre for Women and their Children. The new Whistler based centre will offer individual support for women and children. HSWC is committed to providing support for Women fleeing abuse and experiencing crisis and can refer clients to either a Safe Home in Pemberton or Transition House in Squamish. Furthermore, HSWC maintains the Children Who Witness Abuse Counselling contract for the Ministry of Public Safety & Solicitor General for this area. There is a waitlist for children to see a counselor and having a new, low cost space would provide more hours for counselling. The HSWC will also provide information, referrals and support by telephone or on a drop-in basis as well as a library of books, pamphlets, quarterly newsletters, and videos concerning women's issues. Services and support for Multicultural Women including advocacy, referral, support, ESL training, networking and more will be found here. The new Whistler based Drop In Centre will seek sources of funding to provide various educational seminars/classes to a broad range of women including job readiness, time management, healthy cooking, parenting skills and the like.  Finally, there will be an opportunity to meet and share ideas with a network of women from diverse backgrounds and provide advocacy - including legal, welfare, disability and human rights issues.

To find out more about the Howe Sound Women's Centre, please visit their website http://hswc.seatoskycommunity.org/programs