Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy: A community of connections
We all need help and support at various times throughout our lives. Issues related to mental health and addiction are complex and finding the right support at the right time can be a time-consuming and often overwhelming challenge for individuals and their families.
Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy is about helping Calgarians to find hope and strengthen support for people, families and communities living with mental health issues and addictions.
While one in five Calgarians both young and old alike will experience a mental health issue or prolonged illness in their lifetime, five in five Calgarians can help make life better. The Strategy outlines how we can work together to help Calgarians to find hope and strengthen supports for being well, getting help and staying safe.
Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy is a community-based, cross-sector initiative convened by The City of Calgary to develop and implement a mental health and addiction strategy for Calgary. Council has earmarked up to $25 million for this priority.
Read more about the development of Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy, including Calgary’s participation in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, in the Stanford Social Innovation Review.
Learn more about the process Calgary took to develop Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy.
Current initiatives
Developing a systems map and dashboard
Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy is developing a visual map of services and supports along with an interactive dashboard to better understand how available mental health and addiction supports and services are used and experienced by Calgarians.
External social research consultants are conducting confidential interviews and surveys with Calgarians who access mental health and addiction services and supports in Calgary. The information gathered will help to identify where changes or additional supports are needed.
The systems map and dashboard will provide a visual map of services and supports in Calgary related to mental health and addiction and the pathways and barriers that Calgarians experience moving through these systems. It is funded by a collaborative Community Investment Table.
This research is being conducted by RA2 on behalf of Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy. If you are interested in participating in this research, please contact research@ra2.io.
Become a member of Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy Leadership Group
In March 2021, the Stewardship Group for the development of Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy completed its mandate and was brought to an end. An exciting opportunity now exists to express interest in becoming a member of the Leadership Group for the implementation of Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy.
Expression of interest process:
- Complete and send this form to CommunityOfConnections@calgary.ca no later than midnight on Monday, August 16, 2021
- Review Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy Guiding Principles and Ways of Working Together
All applications will be reviewed and those who are selected will be notified by the end of August 2021.
The Gosbee family shares their story
Join the conversation with #ConnectTheDotsYYC
- Download and print your own #ConnectTheDotsYYC decal at home. Vinyl decals will be available for pick up from any Calgary Public Library starting March 26. Put your decal on a window in a visible location as a symbol that our community will connect the dots on mental health and addiction supports.
- Post a photo of your #ConnectTheDotsYYC window decal on Twitter/Instagram using the hashtag.
- Show your support by adding a frame to your Facebook profile picture.
- Share other #ConnectTheDotsYYC tweets/posts by retweeting
- Share your mental health story using the hashtag #ConnectTheDotsYYC
