Funding announced to build mental health/addiction services in Ottawa

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Inner city health trailer
Ottawa's Inner City Health's supervised injection trailer will get a permanent home with the funding (CBC photo)

Ontario Construction News staff writer

The Ontario government says it is investing in mental health and addictions services. It announced funding for mental health and addictions supports in schools, communities and health centres in Ottawa.

“With this funding, our government is keeping our promise to make mental health and addictions a priority,” Christine Elliott, deputy premier and minister of health, said in a statement. “This additional funding for the Ottawa area will go directly to frontline services and will help fill the critical gaps in the system. This funding will help support more mental health beds, programs for children and youth, addictions treatment and supportive housing.”

The government will invest nearly $2 million in the construction of Ottawa Inner City Health’s consumption and treatment services site. The funding will allow the site to move its current operations from a trailer to a permanent location to better meet the demand for services by accommodating more booths and clients.

The government is also investing more than $5.1 million this year in 19 Ottawa-area community mental health and addiction services and programs.

The goverment says this money will directly benefit frontline care providers in Ottawa, including but not limited to: roughly $2.34 million for 10 inpatient mental health beds at the Ottawa Hospital (Ottawa South); $200,000 to support early psychosis intervention at the Ottawa Hospital’s “On Track” program; $625,968 for Canadian Mental Health Association’s Ottawa branch for post-court transitional case managers and rent supplements, as well as supportive housing; $104,000 for priority population programs at Jewish Family Services Ottawa; $213,767 to support child and youth mental health programs at the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa; and $115,579 to support child and youth mental health programs at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

The funding is part of the additional $174 million the government is providing this year to address critical gaps in services across Ontario and support patients and families living with mental health and addictions challenges.

“These investments are part of our commitment to invest $3.8 billion over the next 10 years to develop and implement a comprehensive and connected mental health and addictions strategy,” Michael Tibollo, associate minister of mental health and addictions, said in the statement. “With our partners, our government will create a connected system of care with comprehensive wrap-around services to ensure that every Ontarian is fully supported in their journey toward mental wellness.”

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