Our History
Arrowhead History
Since its establishment 30 years ago, the Arrowhead Clubhouse has evolved from humble beginnings to an essential resource for our community. With the passionate and generous support of volunteers, staff and numerous funding partners, those living with mental illness on the Sunshine Coast have found a safe and welcoming space to connect, learn and gain increased confidence in tackling the challenges of today’s complex world.
Here is our story.
The Early Days
Arrowhead Clubhouse was started by the Sunshine Coast’s first mental health outreach employee, Ken Akeson, in 1993. In the beginning, Ken supported four of his clients and they would meet in each other’s living room (two of the individuals are still active members today). The group of five applied and received a grant to visit different clubhouses across BC, to learn and formulate an idea of what one on the Sunshine Coast would look like.
With Sunshine Coast Community Services Association (now Society)’s support, the group moved into the Kirkland Centre and the individuals would meet every Friday for four hours. As the number of members grew, participants would share lunch, participate in peer support and enjoy seasonal celebrations.
Finding Our Own Space
As the number and needs grew, it became apparent that a larger space was needed. The group rented a three-room office at The Dock on Cowrie Street in downtown Sechelt. A coordinator was hired and the space was open five days a week from 9am to 4pm. Members of the group could receive a hot meal, get support and participate in workshops focused on mental health.
A year later, Arrowhead moved into a handicapped accessible location on Wharf. The clubhouse was open 9am to 9pm and operations were expanded to include a kitchen, laundry facilities and an art program. With the help of BC Schizophrenia Society supplying the gear, yearly camping trips were organized.
Within a few years, the membership had grown to just over 100 members and Arrowhead relocated to a house on Cowrie Street. Staff and volunteers helped to keep the space open 9am to 9pm, seven days a week. The member built a 40-foot greenhouse, participated in peer support and even ran a small catering company.
Olympic Legacy Affordable Housing Project
For a brief period, the Arrowhead project came to an end due to loss of funding and the sale of their rented space. According to one member, there was “a lot of just walking around the streets” during this time.
Staff member Ted Rowcliff, board member Bob Smith and member Nicki Hansen (along with a few other members) started the long and complicated process of acquiring the old RCMP building in Sechelt as a new home for the Arrowhead project.
Over the following years, the project became bigger in scope than just a clubhouse. The Arrowhead Clubhouse Society, in acquiring the vacant RCMP building, also sought to manage and operate Legacy Housing, a two-storey building with eight affordable rental apartments for people living with mental illness. The building was built from former modular homes that housed athletes in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics games.
To do this, Arrowhead Clubhouse Society needed to partner with another organization who was better equipped to manage the supportive services operating agreement with BC Housing, fulfill reporting requirements and negotiate funding. That organization was Sunshine Coast Community Services Association (later Society), and Arrowhead Clubhouse became one of the 36 programs operated by the non-profit organization. It was still largely “member-led” and retained the Arrowhead Clubhouse Society board, who worked tirelessly to raise money, engage stakeholders and guide the direction of the Clubhouse.
Arrowhead Clubhouse on Inlet
After moving into the Clubhouse space on Inlet Avenue on November1, 2010, there were an amazing range of resources available to members. There is a large computer room with seven computers and four printers. The large garden had 10 garden beds, two sheds and a covered smoking area and 10 off road parking spaces. Our kitchen is full equipped with an industrial dishwasher, two stoves, two fridges and two freezers for making a hot meal each day. There is a shower room and laundry area with three industrial washers and three industrial dryers. There is office space, resources room, a television room and plenty of storage both upstairs and down.
By 2019, there are four paid staff employees to support the members five days a week, from 9am to 3:30pm. There are weekly art and creative writing workshops, yoga, Tai Chi, hikes, events and outings.
COVID-19 and the Dissolution of the Arrowhead Clubhouse Society
In 2020, many things changed for Arrowhead Clubhouse and the Sunshine Coast Community. For a brief time, while our community experienced the first wave of COVID-19, Arrowhead Clubhouse closed for the second time in its brief history. The halls and rooms, once bustling with conversation and activity, fell silent. Staff members cooked and delivered hot meals to the homes of members. Face-to-face support and discussions shifted to online video calls and Facebook interactions.
Eventually, the Clubhouse was able re-open their doors to members with new protocols and capacity limits.
In April 2021, the Board of ACS undertook a careful and comprehensive review of how best to sustain the Clubhouse for the long term, both financially and operationally.
To accomplish this, the Sunshine Coast Community Services Society (SCCSS), was approached to expand its role to full administrative oversight. The Arrowhead Clubhouse Society was dissolved with many of its volunteers staying engaged through a new “Friends of Arrowhead” group, continuing to support the Clubhouse in a variety of ways.
Arrowhead Clubhouse is currently open Monday thru Thursday, 9am to 3:30pm. There is always interesting conversation around the giant main table and something cooking in the kitchen. The sounds of music, television and laughter fill the hallway.
And, as it was in the beginning, it remains an incredible resource for our community.