A sanctuary in Trail

Soon after Barbara Gibson moved to Trail, B.C., she learned that the local library had been adopted by a number of pre-teen children as an informal after-school shelter. These were children of working parents who couldn’t provide after-school supervision, and they often hung out at the library until it closed.

With a group of interested Trail citizens, Gibson formed the Generation to Generation Society, which created an after-school haven for the loose-ends kids in 1998.

Sanctuary Pre-Teen Centre provides free after-school care for children between the ages of eight and 12 years of age, including a snack and a hot dinner. Sanctuary is open on school days 49 weeks per year, from after school until 7:30 at night. Gibson said that Sanctuary is a unique program, possibly the only one of its kind in Canada.

“Normally, about 40 children a month cycle through,” said Gibson. “On any given school day, we can have up to 25 come through the doors, and we feed 17 to 20 kids a night.”

Sanctuary receives a small grant from the B.C. Gaming Commission, but otherwise is community supported. The biggest contributors are the City of Trail, Teck Trail Operations and the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary. Sanctuary currently employs a kitchen manager and a program director; both work full time.

The volunteer board of the Generation to Generation Society in Trail, B.C.: (standing) Teresa Baker, Jeanne Kim, Susan Gaskell, Betty Anne Marino; (seated) Brenda Hooper, Barbara Gibson, Tom McEwan — Photo courtesy Sanctuary Pre-Teen Centre

A haven for many

The Generation to Generation Society purchased the Sanctuary building in 2006 and has outfitted six apartments on the building’s second and third floors. Four of the apartments are affordable rental accommodation and two are hospital-stay-related accommodation suites for people who are accessing treatment at the Trail Hospital, or for their families. Rates for the medical-related suites are $30/night, $125/week or $375/month; the long-term apartments rent at $350/month.

The building was paid for and renovated as a result of generous support from various funders, including Teck Trail, the Government of Canada, the Vancouver Foundation and others. Revenue from the apartment rentals covers taxes and utilities, and whatever is left over is applied to the costs of running Sanctuary.

The Generation to Generation Society reaches out to the community in three ways: by providing a safe and supportive after-school destination for children; by providing safe, affordable living space for those in need; and by renting the medical-related accommodation suites. Sanctuary is run by a volunteer board whose members are committed to giving back to the community.

“We have a good track record now, and people are happy to support us,” Gibson said. “Almost everyone in town knows a child who attended Sanctuary at some point. The fact that the building is paid for is a huge bonus. Once we decided to buy the building, we were able to obtain grants. Anyone can do this—it’s just a matter of getting people on board.”