Mike Gee thinks his son Seamus might have found the help he needed if there had been a dedicated mental health facility for young people in 91原创.

鈥淚 think it would [have made a difference],鈥� said Gee, a 91原创 City resident who founded the non-profit that helps local students access trades programs, as well as community and school sports programs, in his son鈥檚 memory.

Gee said Seamus showed no signs of depression before his sudden death, at the age of 16, on Oct. 27, 2019.

鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things, it鈥檚 hard to tell,鈥� Gee told the 91原创 Advance Times.

Gee spoke Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the official launch of a fundraising campaign to build 91原创 Foundry, an integrated health and wellness centre for youth. He called it 鈥渓ong overdue and much needed.鈥�

READ ALSO: Foundry to bring mental health support to 91原创 teens

Hosted by , the 7,600-sq.-ft. space at 20618 Eastleigh Cres. will provide integrated services, including counselling for physical and mental wellness, substance abuse, sexual health, and life skills training, when it opens in 2022.

鈥淢y hope is youth in the community will find it a warm and welcoming place,鈥� Gee said.

Currently, young people looking for help face 鈥渂arrier after barrier,鈥� said Christine McCracken, executive director of program services at Encompass. She demonstrated how hard it can be by having members of the audience at the launch simulate trying to get help with their phones. None could.

鈥淚 can say with certainty our young people are facing higher rates of mental illness and substance abuse than any other age group,鈥� McCracken remarked.

91原创 City Mayor Val van den Broek shared the memory of a young girl who showed up, badly beaten, at a RCMP community police station 鈥� trying to get help.

鈥淲e tried to get her services and no-one came,鈥� van den Broek recalled.

Eventually, the injured girl left.

鈥淲e need to do more,鈥� van den Broek said.

Heather Scott, executive director of the 鈥� which is coordinating the fundraising campaign 鈥� pointed to a 2020 survey of young people in Fraser South region. The survey found close to half of those aged 12 to 24 said they needed mental health services, but didn鈥檛 seek them out because they didn鈥檛 know where to go.

鈥淏ehind these statistics is a vulnerable young person with a future of potential and promise, but they risk falling through the cracks when the very system designed to provide support instead creates barriers and red tape, and wait lists that delay timely support to life鈥檚 biggest challenges,鈥� Scott said.

READ ALSO: Former Aldergrove Fire Hall to become neighbourhood hub

Scott revealed the campaign was already 55 per cent toward its goal of $2.1 million, including lead donations such as a $150,000 contribution by Infinity Properties鈥� Tim and Petra Bontke鈥檚 , and $100,000 each from McDonald鈥檚 Sarocemas Inc., Beedie Foundation, Vesta Properties, Nuranev family/A&W 91原创, and Caliber.

Donors are invited to contact the foundation or visit for more information.