Editor:
As a follower of Hugh Macaulay’s excellent writings on mental health issues facing some of the most vulnerable people on the Sunshine Coast, I feel the need to comment on his April 7 article, “Equality for mental health clients.” It is particularly relevant and should make clear in this election season that hard questions need to be directed to the candidates running to serve in our provincial government.
Macaulay describes two major conditions that create or exacerbate the “vulnerability” that characterizes people who are mentally ill. Those are homelessness and exposure to drug dealers.
Use of the word “vulnerable” resonated with me as I recalled the deplorable living conditions of our son years ago. He was all but abandoned by local agencies to live on the street, where as a result of his mental health issues and desperate loneliness and isolation, drug dealers took advantage of him and used his downtown squat as a delivery base.
Over the years, he experienced eviction from various temporary living arrangements, run-ins with the justice system and extended stays in hospital. He was one of the lucky ones who were able to return home, have supports put in place and find some measure of success. Many people in similar circumstances are not.
Arrowhead is one of the few places for people with mental illness that offers support, structure and a safe place to be in this uncertain world. But why is the support for Arrowhead so dependent on grants and donations that require already overworked staff and volunteers to expend countless hours trying to keep the operation solvent?
Where is the funding to staff more community outreach programs for people with mental illness – to work with them where they are?
If local officials and their provincial and federal counterparts really knew anything of the threat of physical and emotional hurt these marginalized individuals are exposed to, it should prompt them to intervene in ways that protect such people from harm.
I, for one, would like to know what our local officials and politicians actually understand about what is happening to the marginalized people on our streets.
Now is the time to ask your provincial candidates how they plan to deal with the years of neglect our social programs have suffered.
Robert Wotton, Roberts Creek
