Covenant House Vancouver and the Inner City Youth Mental Health Project (ICYMHP) were recently recognized nationally by the National Eva's Innovation Award, generously sponsored by CIBC. Covenant House Vancouver was chosen as one of three award winners out of 31 applications received from across Canada.
ICYMHP provides youth with access to immediate on-site treatment for mental illness and is coordinated by two in-house mental health clinicians from Covenant House and delivered by a team of six psychiatrists from St. Paul's Hospital. The psychiatric team provides service in both Covenant House locations, with a case load that includes approximately half of all youth in the shelter at any given time. Young people in the mental health project are also supported by other Covenant House programs, including case management, the transitional housing program, drug and alcohol counselling, and life-skills training.
ICYMHP is innovative in that psychiatric services are being made available to homeless youth where and when they need them. The project offers the opportunity to proactively address mental illness among homeless youth and avoid hospitalization. In diagnosing mental illness and helping youth follow through with a treatment plan, ICYMHP is key to improving youth's readiness to access and manage housing for themselves.
Thank you to Eva's Initiative's and CIBC for recognizing us in this way!
Pictured here are (left to right) Covenant House's mental health clinician Tracy Brown, Eva's Initiatives Rachel Gray, Tristan Klassen, Covenant House Development Officer and Mark Simoes from CIBC.
