Local CMHA seeks new name as group goes independent
The Brandon SunJun 30, 2018
"We are a grassroots organization, and when the people that we serve say that they would like 'mental' out of the name, we listen to them," said regional manager
"Further to that, we serve a lot of homeless individuals -- over 120 each year -- and some individuals have mental health needs, but they will not go for assistance because they don't want to have the stigma attached with mental health."
After 33 years with the CMHA, the local branch has terminated its partnership with the provincial and national bodies to become "absolutely independent," Kruck said.
The organization will continue to concentrate efforts on improving the lives of people who are experiencing mental illness, as well as continuing to provide housing and supports to low-income and homeless individuals and families. It runs the Solutions to End Poverty Permanently program, which gives low-income families the opportunity to become first-time homeowners by eliminating common barriers, including high market prices and a down payment.
The organization also operates the
Kruck said the organization is also developing new programming and supports to help the large numbers of students in the school system who have issues with anxiety, depression and bullying.
"We did raise funds, over
The organization has launched a New Name Contest, with a
"There's a ton of creative minds out there," Kruck said. "We want to have a brand new progressive name without that stigmatizing word in it."
The deadline for submissions is
Submissions should be sent via email to ournewnamecontest@gmail.com, or drop off/mail to the
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