NEW WESTMINSTER – New Democrat MLAs Jennifer Whiteside and Aman Singh say that people in New Westminster will continue to benefit from low and no-cost counselling services with the extension of funding for a local community agency.

“I know the pandemic has made it harder for underserved populations to receive access to mental health support,” said Jennifer Whiteside, MLA for New Westminster. “This funding will help reduce barriers to access, and support community agencies in delivering quality services that all British Columbians deserve.”

Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver is among 49 local community agencies in B.C. that are receiving extended funding to continue their community counselling service. The New Democrat government is investing $4.2 million to support this ongoing service for people across the province.

“When people make the difficult decision to ask for help, I want them to know there are services for them that are culturally-sensitive and accessible,” said Aman Singh, MLA for Richmond-Queensborough. “I’m grateful for the resilience of community agencies and the ways they’ve adapted to care for people across the province.”

This funding builds on investments that New Democrats have been making since 2019 to reduce barriers to mental health supports for people throughout the province. During the pandemic, additional funding was provided to more community counselling organizations to help them offer these vital services virtually. Since 2019, over 100,000 counselling sessions have been provided to people as a result.

Expansion of affordable community counselling services is one way government is improving access and quality of care, and it is a key pillar outlined in A Pathway to Hope, B.C.’s roadmap for creating a seamless, comprehensive system of mental health and addictions care that works for everyone.

Learn More: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022MMHA0006-000115

For a complete list of all funded community counselling agencies, visit:  https://caibc.ca/ccfprofiles/