New housing to help Islanders 'get back on their feet' after a mental health crisis

Islanders living with mental illness will soon have access to new housing through a partnership between Health PEI and the Canadian Mental Health Association.

The 10-bed housing unit in Charlottetown will offer long-term supervised housing andtransitional housing as well as respite beds for people suffering from mental illness. It will also be a place for those experiencing mental health crises to go and seek help.

"The ultimate goal is to try to help everybody back to the point where they can get reintroduced back into the community and get back on their feet and living on their own," said Matt Younker, chair of CMHA P.E.I.

"It's to fill that gap where people are in crisis mode and need an immediate place to stay, as well as people that are struggling."

The province will invest about $1.3 million in the project.

There will be case workers on site, so getting help can be as easy as walking in the door and asking for it. The service will be free, and there will be no set timelines for duration of stay, with that being decided on a case-by-case basis.

Construction is planned to start on the building this month, and it is scheduled to open before the end of the year.

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