$300,000 donation to Accueil
Bonneau, Old Brewery Mission and Welcome Hall Mission
MONTRÉAL, Jan. 30, 2019 /CNW
Telbec/ - Bell Let's Talk today announced a $300,000 donation to Accueil Bonneau, Welcome
Hall Mission and the Old Brewery Mission to support their work
caring for those coping with homelessness in Montréal.
In partnership with the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et
de services sociaux (CIUSSS) du Centre-Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal
and the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, the
organizations will expand the Programme de réaffiliation en
itinérance et santé mentale (PRISM), which provides sustained
access to mental health care for homeless people with severe mental
illness.
Martine Turcotte, Bell's Vice
Chair Québec, and Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante announced the
donation this morning at the Old Brewery Mission to mark Bell Let's
Talk Day.
"Bell Let's Talk is proud to partner with these fantastic
organizations to improve mental health services for homeless
people in Montréal," said Ms. Turcotte. "By joining forces,
Accueil Bonneau, Welcome Hall Mission and the Old Brewery Mission,
together with the CIUSSS, are creating a model for innovative
mental health care that will make such a difference for some of the
most vulnerable in our community."
"I would like to thank Bell for investing in Montréal's
community organizations which have developed critical expertise in
helping the homeless," said Ms. Plante. "To adapt services to the
specific needs of those suffering from mental illness, we need more
innovative, partnership-based projects like PRISM that bring
together stakeholders from the community, the municipalities
and the public and private sectors."
PRISM supports homeless men and women diagnosed with severe
mental disorders with transitional housing for 6 to 8 weeks, during
which they receive care from a multidisciplinary team of
psychiatrists, nurses and social workers from the CIUSSS, as well
as community advisors and support workers. The focus is
on improving the participants' mental health as a starting
point for their social reintegration and access to stable and
affordable housing. PRISM provides 42 beds across the 3
organizations, now including accommodation for women at Old Brewery
Mission's Patricia Mackenzie Pavilion.
"Before PRISM was launched in 2013 as a pilot project at Old
Brewery Mission, homeless people with debilitating mental health
issues were systematically neglected," said Dr. Olivier Farmer, a psychiatrist at Hôpital
Notre-Dame and co-founder of PRISM.
"Thanks to the partnership with these 3 shelters, our mental health
professionals are able to care for homeless people where they are,
where they are welcome and where we know they won't be forgotten.
With an average of 75% of participants moving into stable housing,
PRISM is something we can all be proud of."
"Mental health care remains a crucial component in the social
reintegration of homeless people and PRISM has proven effective in
providing that care," said Aubin Boudreau, Executive Director of
Accueil Bonneau. "Some 70% of Accueil Bonneau's clients are dealing
with some kind of mental illness, and today's donation by Bell
Let's Talk will allow our organizations to continue our efforts to
offer special resources to a clientele that is all too often
marginalized."
"We are focused on ending chronic homelessness in Montréal,"
said Samuel Watts, CEO and Executive
Director of Welcome Hall Mission. "With the PRISM program, and our
partnership with the CIUSSS, we are providing an essential health
service to homeless people who face a high prevalence of mental
health challenges, while respecting their dignity. We have already
seen incredible results at Welcome Hall Mission and we thank Bell
Let's Talk for helping us continue our mission."
"I would like to thank Bell Let's Talk for supporting PRISM and
its model of inter-sector collaboration," said Matthew Pearce, President and CEO of the Old
Brewery Mission. "To adequately address the complex links between
mental illness and homelessness, we need new approaches like PRISM
that offers a promising new model for changing systems that used to
seem set in stone."
Today is Bell Let's Talk Day
Accueil Bonneau, Welcome
Hall Mission, Old Brewery Mission, CIUSSS du
Centre-Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, and CIUSSS du
Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal join Bell in inviting everyone to
get involved in the conversation about mental health on Bell Let's
Talk Day.
Bell will donate 5 cents to
Canadian mental health programs for each of the following
interactions today, at no extra cost to participants beyond what
they would normally pay their service provider for online or phone
access:
- Talk: Every mobile and every long distance call made by Bell
wireless and phone customers
- Text: Every text message sent by Bell wireless customers
- Twitter: Every tweet and retweet using #BellLetsTalk, featuring
the special Bell Let's Talk emoji, and Bell Let's Talk Day video
view at Twitter.com/Bell_LetsTalk
- Facebook: Every view of the Bell Let's Talk Day video at
Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk and use of the Bell Let's Talk frame
- Instagram: Every Bell Let's Talk Day video view at
Instagram.com/Bell_LetsTalk
- Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Let's Talk filter and video
view
To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
Total Bell Let's Talk Day interactions since the first event in
2011 stand at 867,449,649 and are expected to exceed an all-time
total of 1 billion today. Bell's funding commitment for mental
health, including the company's donations based on Bell Let's Talk
Day engagement and its original $50-million donation to launch the initiative, is
now $93,423,628.80 and expected to
surpass $100 million today.
About Bell Let's Talk
The Bell Let's Talk mental
health initiative is focused on 4 key action pillars: Anti-stigma,
Care and Access, Research and Workplace Leadership. Since its
launch in September 2010, Bell Let's
Talk has partnered with more than 900 organizations providing
mental health services throughout Canada, including major donations
to hospitals, universities and other care and research
organizations.
About Accueil Bonneau
Founded in Montréal
in 1877, Accueil Bonneau welcomes homeless people or people at risk
of homelessness by supporting them on a daily basis in meeting
their basic needs and helping them achieve a better quality of life
and well-being, towards a goal of social reintegration and
residential stability. Thanks to programs adapted to the needs
of its clients, such as access to physical and mental health care,
housing assistance and job search support, Accueil Bonneau is one
of the largest day centres for homeless people or people at risk of
becoming homeless in the Montréal area.
About Welcome Hall Mission
Established in 1892,
Welcome Hall Mission has become the largest doorway to help for
Montréalers in need. Many programs are available to support the
homeless, families and at-risk mothers and youth. Welcome Hall
Mission provides hope through concrete actions and effective
solutions.
About the Old Brewery Mission
Founded in 1889,
the Old Brewery Mission is the largest resource for homeless men in
Québec and for homeless women in Canada. It offers emergency services, as well
as a range of adapted programs in physical and mental health,
housing, psychosocial support and research to end homelessness.
Media inquiries
Caroline Audet
Bell
514-391-9794
caroline.audet@bell.ca
@Bell_LetsTalk
@Bell_news
Andrée Gendron
Accueil Bonneau
514-845-3906, ext. 303
andreegendron@fondationaccueilbonneau.org
Chelsea Dufort
Welcome Hall Mission
514-523-5288, ext. 326
cdufort@missionba.com
Melissa Bellerose
Old Brewery Mission
514-779-8188
mbellerose@missionoldbrewery.ca
SOURCE Bell Canada