CMHA highlights housing as a human right for Human Rights Day
Equality, justice, freedom, human dignity - these are the foundational rights enshrined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which celebrates its 75th anniversary on December 10. As the international community comes together to recognize this milestone, CMHA Champlain East is reflecting on how access to housing, a key human rights issue, is affecting communities across Ontario.
Adequate housing is recognized as part of the right to an adequate standard of living in the Declaration. The Canadian government explicitly recognized the right to housing in 2019 with the National Housing Strategy Act, clearly setting forth housing as one of the country’s policy priorities. Yet over 500,000 people in Canada who are living with a mental illness are inadequately housed – and of those individuals approximately 120,000 are homeless. In Ontario alone, more than 16,000 people are homeless on any given night, and between 40 and 60 per cent of those people are experiencing chronic homelessness.
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About 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline
Suicide is a significant public health issue that affects people of all ages and backgrounds. Some communities in Canada are disproportionately impacted by suicide, including, men and boys, people serving federal sentences, survivors of suicide loss and suicide attempt, 2SLGBTQIA+ groups, and some First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities.
Today, an average of 12 people die by suicide every day in Canada. While we have made progress towards talking openly about our mental health and suicide prevention, we still need to do more to make it easier for anyone who is struggling to get help.
On November 30, 2023, 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline, a national three-digit number for suicide prevention and emotional distress support will launch, providing people in Canada with free access to 24/7/365, bilingual, trauma-informed, and culturally appropriate suicide prevention support by phone and text.
The 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline is funded by the Government of Canada, and delivered by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and their partners.
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LivingWorks Start
Learn life-saving skills anytime, anywhere. In just 90 minutes online, LivingWorks Start teaches trainees to recognize when someone is thinking about suicide and connect them to help and support.
CMHA Champlain East is providing complimentary* (Free) LivingWorks Start online suicide prevention training; sponsored by the Suicide Prevention Coalition Champlain East. Here is the link for more details: LivingWorks Start information. This online training is currently only available in English. This is a beginners suicide prevention training intended for those that have not taken the safeTALK or ASIST.
Please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. full name and email address should you be interested. The training will be sent directly from LivingWorks.
* First come first serve, while quantities last.
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