B.C. is committing millions towards helping those with mental health issues.
The B.C. government announced Wednesday that provided $5 million to the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society (BCSS), a non-profit organization that provides services, programs and a province-wide family support system to those living with schizophrenia, psychosis and other persistent mental illnesses.
Funding will be used to increase access to services for families in rural, northern and under-served areas throughout the province, and expand partnerships with Indigenous communities, according to the provincial government. The money will also help the BC Schizophrenia Society’s Kids and Teens in Control program, which provides support to children and youth affected by family mental illness.
“People and families living with schizophrenia and psychosis tell me it can be challenging to find the services and supports to help,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “That’s why our government is funding $5 million for the BC Schizophrenia Society to help people and their families get the support they need.”
The society also hopes to reduce the ongoing stigma surrounding serious mental illness by continuing its podcast and expanding its mental-health literacy programming.
Faydra Aldridge, chief executive officer of the BC Schizophrenia Society, said the money will benefit those struggling with serious mental health issues.
“Every day, our front-line staff speak with family members needing support and wanting to learn more about serious mental illness. They are looking for what resources are available for their loved ones. The outcomes of our work can be unmeasurable for the individual living with a mental illness, their family members and caregivers,” said Aldridge.
The funding is part of the province’s A Pathway to Hope, which the provincial government calls a “roadmap for building” a comprehensive system of mental health and addiction care in B.C.
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