OUR VISION

A compassionate and empowered community where families, youth and individuals receive the supports and services they need to live dignified, resilient and hopeful lives.

    OUR MISSION

To support the well-being of families, youth, and individuals in our community by providing counselling, housing, support, and outreach services.

    OUR SERVICE PHILOSOPHY

Nelson Community Services believes that all families, youth, and individuals, at some time, experience difficulties in their lives and that they have an inherent right to be heard and to be supported. Our relational approach to service delivery is respectful of each person’s identity, issues, strengths, culture, needs, and choices.

  OUR STRATEGIC PLAN

NCS operations are guided by a Strategic Plan. This plan is revised and updated by the Board of Directors in consultation with the Executive Director and NCS Staff on a regular basis.

Click to view Plan

    WE VALUE

             Community collaboration
             Partnerships
             Bringing leadership to positive social change efforts.
             Being responsive to evolving needs of our community
             Service excellence
             Service relevance
             Ethical service delivery
             Innovation and creativity
             Integrity
             Inclusiveness and non-discrimination
             Trauma-Informed approaches
             Diversity
             Dignity
             Respect
             Choice
             Confidentiality
             Gender preferences
             Truth and Reconciliation efforts
             Anti-oppressive approaches to understanding
             Safety and personal control
             Compassion, relationships, and caring
             Staff professionalism
             Responsibility and accountability for our actions

   TERRITORIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Nelson Community Services acknowledges that the land upon which we offer our services is the traditional territory
of the peoples who have lived here for thousands of years —
the Ktunaxa, the Sylix, and the Sinixt.

We respect and honour all our relations.

  OUR ACCREDITATION

 Nelson Community Services (NCS) was first accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) in 2006. It was reaccredited in 2010, 2014 and 2018. Reaccreditation attests that NCS continues to meet the highest national standards. It also provides assurance that NCS is performing services which the community needs, conducting its operations successfully and managing its funds effectively.

 

COA is an international, independent, not-for-profit accrediting body of social and behavioural healthcare services. COA’s mission “promotes best-practice standards; champions quality services for children, youth and families and advocates for the value of accreditation”.

click to read more about COA

 

 

 

ANNUAL REPORT

Read our current 2020-2019 Annual Report here.

  OUR HISTORY

In the early 1970’s a group of concerned Nelson citizens and service professionals recognized the need to create a new voluntary agency to operate a “crisis line” and volunteer counselling program for Nelson. They submitted a funding proposal to the federal government and with its approval, the Nelson Community Services Centre was born in 1972. From its initial focus on a youth crisis line, the Centre’s early service model was to respond to whatever needs surfaced either through the crisis calls it received or the concerns that arose in the community. As each new need was recognized, the Centre would develop a new funding proposal to the federal or the provincial government to try to address it. A corps of community volunteers was always a central resource to be mobilized to deliver the agency’s services. Over the years this service model led to the Centre offering a wide variety of services but without a clear organizational focus or mandate. In 1987 the Board of Directors hired a consultant to review the organizational structure, systems, programs, and mandate in order to recommend ways of making the agency more efficient and effective. The consultant’s report recommended the Centre focus its programs in two or three service areas and hire a full-time administrator to oversee the process of consolidating the agency’s programs. With client, staff and community input, the Board subsequently decided to focus on three areas: Counselling and Family Support Services, Youth Services and Services to Women in Abusive Relationships. We continue to focus on these three areas to the present day.
 

Have you other questions about who we are and what we do?  Check out our FAQs…

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