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.
We are conducting confidential interviews and surveys with Calgarians who access mental health and addiction services and supports in Calgary.
If you work in a mental health and/or addictions organization or program and would like to participate in the survey, please click https://bit.ly/camha-web-service-providers-survey. We are seeking to include as many perspectives as possible, so please don’t hesitate to take the survey even if someone else at your organization has completed it.
If you live in Calgary and would like to participate in the survey, please click https://bit.ly/camha-web-individuals-survey. Whether you have sought help for yourself, a friend, or family member, or have never interacted with mental health and addictions services, we want to hear from you. Survey participation enters you into a draw for a chance to win a $200 prepaid debit card. Both surveys close December 10, 2021.
The information gathered will help to identify where changes or additional supports are needed and the pathways and barriers that Calgarians experience moving through these systems. It is funded by a collaborative Community Investment Table.
The research study has been reviewed by Veritas Independent Review Board (IRB). If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant or the Investigator’s responsibilities, you may contact the Manager of Veritas Interview Review Board 24 hours per day and 7 days per week at 514-337-0442 or toll-free at 1-866-384-4221.
Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy Leadership Group
We have selected members of the community as Calgary’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy Leadership Group.
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
