Trudeau Liberals announce funding for black people traumatized by Covid
Roberto Wakerell-Cruz
The funding “will also support Black youth and their families to help prevent and mitigate the impacts of diverse forms of trauma exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery.”
The Trudeau government announced that it would be investing $1.1 million in Black Mental Health Canada to support “Black clients who have experienced racial trauma or race-based traumatic stress.” An additional $400,000 will be donated to Mental Health Services for Black Youth, to help develop its “Black-centric, trauma-responsive community support services.”
Minister of Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett made the announcement on Friday.
“Black communities in Canada continue to face many systemic challenges and barriers to mental health care, and our government is committed to addressing them,” Bennett said. “The projects announced today will create environments for improved mental health outcomes and will ensure that Black individuals and communities across Canada experiencing mental health challenges have access to the most appropriate, culturally relevant supports and services they need, by the most appropriate provider.”
A statement from the federal government says that the “project will reach mental health clinicians across Canada, including both Black providers treating Black individuals, as well as non-Black providers working in areas with high proportions of Black clientele.