Aboriginal Youth Navigators work to help youth aging out of Ministry care
Youth homelessness refers to young people between the ages of 13 and 24 who are living independently of parents and/or caregivers, and importantly, lack many of the social supports deemed necessary for the transition from childhood to adulthood. In such circumstances,...
Intimate partner violence is the leading cause of housing instability for women and children in Canada
In Canada, intimate partner violence is the leading cause of housing instability for women and children. Approximately 30% of Canada’s homeless population are women, 91% of whom have also endured some form of violence or assault in their lifetime. Organizations...
Overdose responders with lived experience are especially susceptible to burnout
Five years into British Columbia’s opioid-involved overdose public health emergency, the emotional and psychological burden carried by those responding to overdoses is increasing. The total deaths from overdoses in May 2021 bring total fatalities for 2021 up to 851,...
Peer support workers essential in preventing overdose, drug poisoning deaths
Peer support workers play an essential role in supporting people with substance use related challenges. They offer judgement-free care, and personal connection for people experiencing substance use challenges and who may feel isolated and vulnerable. Peer support...
Analysis: People living on the streets are struggling. Their neighbours are too.
A lack of investment in the necessities of life, from health care to housing, has left residents of Nanaimo to 'pick up the pieces.' When I sit down to write a series, I typically try to break the issue down into a simple outline that often takes the form of...
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VIMHS NEWS
#GetReal about how you feel: Mental Health Week in Canada May 3 to 9
Mental Health Week is a Canadian tradition, with communities, schools and workplaces rallying to celebrate, protect and promote mental health. The core objective of Mental Health Week is to promote mental health because mental health is something we can promote and...
New supportive homes open at Q’waxsem Place in Campbell River
Construction has finished on a 50-unit supportive housing development in Campbell River that will provide homes with 24/7 support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. "This housing will make a significant difference for people in Campbell River who are...
New affordable housing with mental health and addiction supports opens in Nanaimo
A three-story complex of low-rent housing has begun welcoming residents in Nanaimo. The doors officially opened on 285 Rosehill St. at Terminal Ave on Dec. 1, providing 23 studio apartments. Owned and operated by the Vancouver Island Mental Health Society, the...
MEDIA SCAN
Month over month, people in BC continue to lose their lives to the poisoned drug supply in record numbers
Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, has released the following statement regarding the BC Coroners Service’s report on illicit drug toxicity deaths for April 2021: “Month over month, people in British Columbia continue to lose their lives to...
Solving the problems in mental health care
Dealing with a mental illness is challenging enough, but more often the biggest challenge is in accessing timely help and getting the right treatment. Veteran mental-health leader Dr. David Goldbloom knows this problem well and addresses the solutions in his new book,...
Campbell River students welcome homeless to the neighbourhood
When a $10.4 million supportive housing project for the homeless was announced in Campbell River, it wasn’t completely popular with local residents. “Neighbours were concerned, businesses in the area too, and a lot was mentioned about the neighbouring schools in the...
PEOPLE FIRST MEDIA
Single mom struggles to find housing in Campbell River
Kandi Keller has lived most of her life in Campbell River. She’s been a single mom for 16 years and was steadily employed until health issues left her on disability supports. Kandi recently faced another enormous challenge -- the loss of the family’s rental home --...
Overdose responders with lived experience are especially susceptible to burnout
Five years into British Columbia’s opioid-involved overdose public health emergency, the emotional and psychological burden carried by those responding to overdoses is increasing. The total deaths from overdoses in May 2021 bring total fatalities for 2021 up to 851,...
Peer support workers essential in preventing overdose, drug poisoning deaths
Peer support workers play an essential role in supporting people with substance use related challenges. They offer judgement-free care, and personal connection for people experiencing substance use challenges and who may feel isolated and vulnerable. Peer support...
