The Evolution of Fraserside Community Mental Health Services : A Historical Analysis of Clubhouse Development in New Westminster

This project examines the development of Friendship House and New Leaf Clubhouse, two community mental health programs operated by Fraserside Community Services Society (FCSS) in New Westminster, British Columbia (BC). Primary sources from the Community Connections: The development of mental health services in New Westminster, 1950-2000 project, including staff oral histories, annual reports, and organizational documents, are used to explore how shifting provincial mental health policies shaped the emergence and transformation of clubhouse services from the 1980s to present. Friendship House, established in 1987, reflected an early community response to the discharge of long-term patients from Riverview Hospital and emphasized social connection, daily structure, and peer interaction. By contrast, the creation of New Leaf Clubhouse in 2007 marked a shift toward more structured psychosocial rehabilitation, incorporating a work-ordered day, vocational supports, and program domains aligned with contemporary recovery-oriented practice. This project also examines how both models were influenced by the principles of the Fountain House clubhouse movement and adapted to local needs, funding environments, and health authority expectations. Together, these findings illuminate the changing landscape of community mental health services in New Westminster and provide insight into how clubhouse models were operationalized in BC across several decades.