I can't go into full details right now, but we had an incident at work today that was a huge wake up call for me.
We really need better mental health initiatives here, and way better options for people who are impoverished and don't have the opportunity to access these initiatives. These are the "forgotten people", as I call them. We spend a lot of time focusing energies on improving the mental health and well-being of those who are aware and able to take these opportunities. We know that if we offer services to those who seek them, they will be utilised. But what about the people who don't even have the capacity to use their free health care? Who don't have time to walk into a medi-center? Who are too scared to report their bruises? When your biggest concern is finding enough money for your next meal, you're not going to walk into a counsellors' office to deal with the years of child abuse you suffered, or the voices that are inside your head, or the violent gangs you got involved with for a quick fix that one time you really needed an escape and are terrified they are coming to murder you.
I work for a company that offers low-income housing to individuals, and we currently have a three year wait list. Every other company similar to ours is like this in Edmonton. Day after day I have to turn away people who are trying to figure out how to get on their feet again, because we simply don't have space for them. A safe place. The emergency shelters are full. We are full. There's no "in-between". You wait three years or you wait for an emergency shelter to no longer have emergencies. In that time, you have to figure out how to get your next meal. A home means so much to these people. A home can be the difference between relapsing again and finding a job. A home offers hope.
We need to do better. That is all.
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