Moncton loses subsidized counselling program

Low-income Moncton residents who are suffering from mental illness or are victims of abuse will no longer have access to affordablecounselling in the new year.

Family Service Moncton Inc.plans tocancel its subsidized counselling program onJan. 1 after losing nearly $100,000 in funding from the United Way.

"It is devastating our clients," said Maurice Leblanc, the company's chief executive officer.

'I don't know how people will manage. I think the system, the hospitals will be more overloaded and mental health will be overloaded.' Wendy Johnston, client

But without the financial support of the United Way, the organization had no choice but to shut the program down, he said.

About 275 people will be affected, including Wendy Johnston, who sees a counsellor every month to get treatment for her depression.

Johnston has been paying $40 per session, but without the subsidy, her bill will be up to$150 per session, which she says she can't afford.

She said she hopes to scrape enough money up to see her counsellor every three months. But she's worried she won't be able to cope on her own.

"I don't know how people will manage. I think the system, the hospitals will be more overloaded and mental health will be overloaded," Johnston said.

"This is kind of like the buffer zone between you know, the street and the hospital, this gets people to manage on their own and redirects them in a healthy way whereas the hospitals won't be able to do this," she said.

"There is nothing here in Moncton. Either you are very sick and you go in the hospital. But there is nothing for people who don't have a lot of money to get some support and feel like they are OK."

People who can't afford to pay full price for counselling will have to seek help from their family physician or the mental health association.

United Way officials say they opted to support other groups in 2013. They received more than50 applications from non-profit groups, but only had enough to support about half of those, officials said.