Focus on Overarching Issues: CAMH Annual Report 2003

CAMH Annual Report

CAMH clients have a vast array of skills and experience to contribute to the labour force. But many are un-employed or underemployed and struggle with poverty and low self-esteem in addition to their illness. That is why clients, community partners and staff are working on a plan to increase employment and training opportunities for people with mental health and addiction issues.

CAMH's Client Employment Initiative Workgroup was created this year to provide leadership on client employment issues. Its objectives include:

developing a strategy to address the employment needs of clients, including incorporating clients' employment and training needs into their care plans and establishing employment and training opportunities
becoming a model employer that embraces the value of client training and employment and is committed to equity and diversity
developing understanding of how employment services and supports affect clinical outcomes
advocating for changes to systemic barriers to employment and training
expanding CAMH support for consumer/survivor businesses.

Advocating for clients on income support

The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) is intended to help people with disabilities by providing basic income supports, including prescription drug and other benefits.

However, inadequate benefits, confusing application procedures, and seemingly arbitrary eligibility decisions are causing such distress for some mental health and addiction clients, that they are jeopardizing the clients' health and recovery.

To address these issues, CAMH prepared a study titled Barriers to ODSP: Experiences of People with Mental Health and Addictions. We have also joined the ODSP Action Coalition Group, made up of agencies and organizations advocating for change.

Advocating for better access to ODSP is a priority for CAMH, because access to income and other benefits is so integral to the quality of life, treatment and recovery of clients.

Housing Stability Benchmarking Study

The lack of safe and affordable housing is a crisis for thousands of people

in Canada. But it is particularly acute for people with severe mental illness. As a result, last year CAMH developed a Housing Policy Discussion Paper. Reflecting best practices, this paper calls on the Ontario government to launch a housing action strategy to ensure that people with mental illness have access both to housing and the kind of supports they need for recovery.

CAMH is currently involved in a number of initiatives on housing, including the Housing Stability Benchmarking Study. This is a two-phase action research and educational project to improve the quality of housing and support services for people with mental illness. The study, which began one year ago, involves present and past clients, housing providers, policy makers and other agencies. We are examining innovative and effective housing practices that promote housing stability for people with mental illness.

CAMH will translate the study findings into a range of benchmarks that housing providers can adopt, depending on their mandate.

We will also outline a menu of innovative practices currently being used by providers to achieve these benchmarks. As well, we will hold workshops with housing providers to explain how they can use the benchmarks as a tool in their program planning.