A new report, Improving the Health of Canadians: Mental Health and Homelessness (in PDF) explores the complex relationship between homelessness and mental illness. The report finds homeless people in Canada have more mental health problems then other populations, whether or not mentally ill people are more likely to become homeless or the stress of homelessness contributes to mental illness. Read more on mental health and homelessness and on the newly appointed Canadian Mental Health Commission on the Wellesly Institute Blog.

Last week, Rich Coleman, the BC Minister for Housing, announced in a Vancouver Sun article ("B.C. targets homeless with Riverview Project") that he planned to turn the old psychiatric institution, Riverview, into a massive real estate development that mixed a large number of market housing with some social housing for poor and mentally ill people. Anti-poverty and mental health advocates and Coquitlam city politicians are opposed to any type of of market housing on the site (See Vancouver Sun articles - "Coquitlam 'appalled' by Riverview housing proposal," "Riverview housing plan sparks political backlash," and the CBC article - Coquitlam mayor opposes massive Riverview redevelopment".) They want the site used for social housing and for the care of those suffering from mental illness.

Ten years ago, the provincial government began shutting Riverview down as part of the process of de-institutionalizing mental health patients. The idea was that patients would receive treatment in their communities but many people who left institutions like Riverview ended up homeless, vulnerable to drug addictions and without treatment. Mental health consumers, advocates and others have been pushing the provincial government to fund more treatment for the mentally ill. Last week a group of nurses from Riverview demonstrated outside the Health Minister's office to protest deteriorating medical standards due to three years of government cutbacks. For more on Riverview and Rich Coleman's plan see the Tyee article, "Coleman's Gambit" and the following press release from the Carnegie Community Action Project:

News release
For immediate release
July 27, 2007

Riverview plans more about developer profits than housing homeless

"The provincial government's plan for a massive housing development on Riverview land in Coquitlam is more about helping developers make profits than about housing the homeless", says Jean Swanson of the Carnegie Community Action Project.

The Minister in charge of housing, Rich Coleman, a former developer, suggests that 1100 units of social housing will be among over 7000 units, mostly condos, to be built on the site. "It could take 5 or ten years or more before even one unit gets built," said Swanson. If it takes ten years for the project to open, that's 110 units per year for homeless and poor people. That might meet the need in Coquitlam, but Vancouver needs 800 units of new social housing per year according to the city."

About 2000 people in Vancouver are homeless now, according to city officials, with a possible 3000 by the time of the Olympics.

"Coleman should be using the governments $4.1 billion surplus and the $250 million he has parked in a housing endowment fund to build hundreds of units of social housing now," said Swanson.

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Contact: Jean Swanson 604 729-2380

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has published a report called, Community-Based Mental Health Services in BC: Changes to Income, Employment and Housing Supports (in PDF). The report outlines how changes to the welfare process system have made it unreasonably difficult for people suffering from mental illness to access both basic income assistance and disability benefits. The study calls for the BC government to increase disability benefit rates, provide more advocates to help people navigate the welfare system, reinstitute a provincial Mental Health Advocate, and expand innovative supported housing programs. For more information read the CCPA's press release.

The Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology released its fifth and final report on mental health, mental illness and addiction in Canada: “Out of the Shadows at Last.” The report is the culmination of over three years of extensive study and makes more than 100 recommendations designed to improve services for Canadians dealing with mental health issues. The full document is over five hundred pages and includes many valuable recommendations. Part 1 of the Senate Committee report (in PDF), Part 2 of the report (focus on what the Federal government can do, in PDF), < a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/39/1/ParlBus/commbus/senate/com-e/SOCI-E/press-e/08may06-e.htm" title="a media release from the Senate">a media release from the Senate, and the report's Table of Contents (in HTML).

Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has had to turn away many people requiring mental health assessments. The clinic does not have enough resources to be able to keep up with the amount of people being reffered to them for assessments. Many of those who are turned away are forced to wait in jail in order to be assessed.

"WISE (Wellbeing through Inclusion Socially and Economically) is a grassroots group of citizens whose mission is to organize, represent, act on behalf of, and join together with persons in British Columbia whose lives are negatively affected by policies of exclusion. The Policies of Exclusion, Poverty and Mental Health: Stories From the Front project aims "to expose the effects of policies of exclusion on women living in poverty in the Cowichan Valley by providing a vehicle for joining together, building a strong voice for themselves and other marginalized peoples, mobilizing and ultimately effecting policy change."

The Ontario Federation of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs (OFCMHAP), represents 216 community based organizations in Ontario. OFCMHAP recognized that there is a distinct lack of understanding and awareness about the success and effectiveness of the services provided to vulnerable people in the province of Ontario. "This lack of awareness and understanding has resulted in a continued erosion of financial support to the core programs that make up the community addiction and mental health sectors." In January 2003, OFCMHAP released a report which shows that community-based mental health and addiction programs save lives and tax dollars. The report, called: Outcomes and Effectiveness, The Success of Community Mental Health and Addiction Programs is available in PDF format. For a press release on the report see the OFCMHAP website.

The Canadian Mental Health Association has awarded Community Legal Assistance (CLAS) the Aleck Trawick Q.C. Award, established to highlight the importance of legal advocacy as part of overall mental health advocacy. It is presented periodically to legal counsel or law firm which has provided extraordinary leadership in advocacy before the courts, legislature or other forums.

Robin Loxton was awarded the Diane McFarlane Award for outstanding advocacy in the mental health community this past May at the beginning of Mental Health week. In 1988, Robin helped found the Advocacy Access Program at the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities. In 1991, he established the Mental Health Empowerment Advocates Program at the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities.