The province is expanding the number of funded beds for substance addiction in Vancouver and throughout B.C.
In Metro Vancouver, the B.C. government is funding between 39 and 44 beds with five different organizations, including up to 20 at the Salvation Army Harbour Light which serves the Downtown Eastside. More than 60 other beds will be funded in other parts of the province.
"We are thrilled that the funding will create more than 100 new public beds in communities across B.C., even more than we anticipated when we announced 50 to 70 beds last summer," says Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, in a press release. "There’s more to do, but we are working hard to build up a strong system of addictions and mental health care.”
Around half of the new beds will be new space in existing organizations, while the other half are private beds that are becoming publicly funded. This means the individual seeking treatment won't have to pay, decreasing the barrier to treatment.
"The additional beds will increase access to addictions treatment and recovery bed-based services in every health authority by bringing beds into the public system," states the province in the release. "And will help to address long-standing service gaps for Indigenous peoples, women, rural and remote communities, and people transitioning from corrections."
The funding, $13 million, is running through the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).
"This investment is such an important step toward a vision where more substance-use treatment and recovery supports are available at the right time for more people," says Jonny Morris, CEO of CMHA's BC Division, in the press release.
