KCDS Bridge Fund
Because Work Changes Lives
About the Fund
Our Impact
KCDS works to reduce poverty and build economic resilience by helping individuals move from pre-employment to sustainable careers. We serve people facing complex barriers—survivors of violence, persons with disabilities, those experiencing mental health challenges, poverty, or systemic inequities—across the West Kootenays. Our trauma-informed, culturally safe services include employment readiness, skills training, and wraparound supports like transportation, childcare, and counselling. We collaborate with Indigenous organizations, housing and health providers, and local employers to ensure accessible, community-integrated pathways to employment. Our work addresses the widening employability gap and empowers those furthest from opportunity to thrive. At KCDS, we believe that work changes lives. We help people build skills, overcome barriers, and find meaningful work. But sometimes, the support someone needs—like ID or eyeglasses—isn’t covered by traditional programs. Donations to our Bridge Fund fill these gaps, ensuring no one is left behind due to eligibility rules or funding limitations.
KCDS drives meaningful outcomes by centering equity, innovation, and community. We deliver personalized, barrier-free services—virtual and in-person employment counselling, financial supports, and tailored employment programs—designed for rural and underserved populations. We embed JEDI (Justice, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) principles across all services—ensuring cultural safety, lived experience leadership, and equitable access. We empower employers with recruitment tools, onboarding support, and diversity training to strengthen local workforce retention. We measure impact through robust evaluation, feedback loops, and real-world metrics. From initial engagement to long-term employment, KCDS builds pathways that empower individuals, strengthen communities, and ensure donor investments create lasting, measurable change.
KCDS’s long-term goal is to build vibrant, resilient communities sustained by inclusive workplaces and equitable access to meaningful employment. We aim to reduce poverty and increase economic security by guiding individuals from pre-employment to sustainable careers—especially those facing systemic barriers. Our impact is measured through employment outcomes, credential attainment, and improved mental health and confidence. We know we’ve succeeded when clients not only secure jobs but thrive in them, employers report stronger retention, and communities experience measurable reductions in poverty. Continued growth in client success stories, employer partnerships, and regional workforce stability will signal that our systemic approach is working.
Client Testmonials
