Poverty and Mental Health

Presentation by: Greg Bogucki, Gabrielle Hindley, Justin Woo

Social Problem Research indicates a rise in the risk of mental

illness corresponds to low income families Trend displayed in all age groups Children living in low income families are at high

risk of developmental disorders, social disorders, and mental illnesses developing with age

What causes these trends? Lack of hope and recognition by

society of various serious mental illnesses

Difficulty maintaining jobs when mental illness goes untreated

Treatment by psychologists largely limited to a tertiary system

Effects of Poverty on Child Mental Health

Parenting skills affected by poverty thus reducing emotional support provided by parents to children

Environment in which impoverished children grow is often more hazardous to the child

Little hope for future

Vancouver EastsidePrimary Research

Vancouver EastsidePrimary Research

Downtown Vancouver Government Housing Complexes

Characteristics of Good Mental Health

Building fulfilling relationships

Sense of meaning and purpose

Dealing with stress and overcoming obstacles

Enjoyment of life

Solution

The community centre will include mentors to provide advice and support to children

Providing children with early support will reduce risks of developing mental illness

Mentors can assist children already suffering from poor mental health

Mentorship Program

What will the program include?

• Mentors meet weekly with each child and monthly group activities involving multiple children and mentors

• Group activities ideally allows children to interact with others in the program and in their community to form friendships (broadening their support network) and have fun in a safe environment.

• Being part of a group can promote social skills and increase tolerance for different groups

What will the program involve?• One on one assistance provided to adults to help

them find a stable and respectable job with special attention given to adults with mental illness and matching them into positions in which they can be successful

• Respectable jobs provide adults with income, a support network, and goal setting opportunities

• Gaining approval from adults in the community of our program will increase the enrolment of children in the mentorship program

What is the scope of this project?• The pilot project is intended to reach about 3000

children from low- cost housing complexes

• Project will extend over the entire city including downtown Vancouver, New Westminster, and Surrey

• All programs will have headquarters at a central office

Where will the money go?

• Initially money must go towards building a headquarter office (3 million)

• Hiring office administration and social workers will be the largest cost (6.3 million annually)

• A large portion of the staff will rely on community volunteers including registered psychologists and community leaders

Implementing the Solution • Door- to-door advertisement will be used to spread

the word about the programs offered

• Volunteers and administration will meet with parents to ensure the program is appropriate for the individual child

• To sustain the program, in the long term we will rely on private and government donation through fundraiser events