FCSS acquires new Taber location
By Garrett Simmons on March 24, 2021.
It has finally happened — Family and Community Support Services has a new location in Taber.After leaving the old Barons-Eureka-Warner building on 56th Street, FCSS staff have mainly worked out of the hospital, along with a few other locations, to deliver a wide range of services.
With a new location at secured at 5404-50 Ave., that is about to change.
“It’s been a long time coming for this new site,” said FCSS executive director Zakk Morrison. “We’ve been working on getting an additional space to support families in the Taber area for a number of years.”
Merrill Harris, chair of the FCSS board of directors, added finding a new location has been quite the journey.
“It’s been six years since we left the Barons-Eureka-Warner building,” he said, and added efforts to get back into the building have not been successful over the years. “It’s just been a very slow process, so we’ve been looking at other buildings in Taber as a result.”
The perfect space has now been found, a space that will allow FCSS to offer a wide variety of programs out of a single location, and house most of its staff.
Morrison added the building is the perfect location, which includes a large open space suitable for program delivery, along with office space for FCSS employees.
The new building is located next to MLA Grant Hunter’s office, a local politician Harris added deserves credit for working hard to try and get FCSS back into the old BEW building.
Ultimately, that did not come to pass, as FCSS had to rely on numerous local organizations over the span of five-plus years in order to continue offering programming.
“Along with acknowledging Grant Hunter, it’s important to acknowledge the support from the community all these years,” said Kim Forchuk, FCSS Family Support Worker, who added FCSS utilized activity-room spaces inside the Taber Agri-Plex and Taber Christian School, for example.
Those community activity rooms were supplemented by office space for FCSS staff housed at the hospital, which meant staff members spent a lot of time on the road.
“Kim and other staff at the hospital have been driving around town to deliver programming for the last few years,” said Morrison. “It’s so much more convenient to have it all under one roof now. It was tough for them to meet with people before. This way, it’s one entrance with a big sign in front of the door and it’s very clear and easy to find.”
The new 50th Avenue storefront location will go a long way toward providing supports for local parents, and a convenient spot for many other programs, in a space that is warm and inviting.
“We’re excited to have a nice bright space to better facilitate a number of programs, like our Tax Return Assistance program,” said Cindy Lauwen, FCSS Volunteer Services co-ordinator.
FCSS will host an open house at some point but for now, it’s more of a soft opening, as some staff members are working from home during the pandemic. But for Kaitlynn Weaver, who will manage the location, the new home for FCSS is everything she hoped it would be.
“I feel like the location is excellent,” she said. “I really like being on one of the main streets, and it’s nice to have a big sign with a big open window out front. It feels like people will know about us a little bit more with this new location.”
Weaver added the sky is truly the limit in terms of the opportunities afforded to FCSS with the 50th Avenue building.
“It’s really great and the space is really adjustable for the things we need to do,” she said. “We can offer presentations and it’s much more accessible with a ramp in the back. It just feels like we are part of the community a bit more here.”
The majority of FCSS staff members will move their offices to the new location, while FCSS counselling staff will remain at the hospital, a fact FCSS is very appreciative of.
“The AHS support has been huge but we were very tough to find at the hospital,” said Forchuk, who added that partnership, along with many others, strengthened the FCSS presence in Taber over the years. “We’ve had some great community partners. They’ve been so supportive and we’re going to continue to work together to support the people in our community.”
And now, with a new location ready to serve Taber, Morrison is hopeful FCSS will be able to continue its long tradition of providing important services for the area.
“Having a good spot, centrally located in Taber, is so important for those partnerships we have and for our staff.”
FCSS offers services for individual and families including parenting support, seniors assistance and support, counselling for individuals/couples/families, youth programs and more. 2
-1
