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The federal government has announced nearly $1.3 million for the expansion of youth mental health services in southeast New Brunswick.
The money was provided to Moncton’s Atlantic Wellness to deliver free mental health services to youth aged of 12 to 25, over the next four years.
The non-profit plans to increase its staffing by hiring two new therapists and a community engagement liaison for their outreach programs, said executive director Andrew LeBlanc at Thursday morning’s announcement.
“We’ve done some needs assessments in the region to really analyze the needs for young people and rural and francophone populations as well, so that we’re making informed decisions as we continue to grow and expand our services,” he said.
WATCH | ‘There’s no question that the demand for services is continuing to rise’:
Atlantic Wellness receives nearly $1.3M from federal government
The funds will help the organization expand its youth mental health services in southeast New Brunswick over the next four years.
He said the community engagement liaison will help provide the same level of support to youth in rural communities that those in urban areas are able to access.
The organization said it has already served 382 young people between January and June, and counselling hours of this year are up 67 per cent over the same period four years ago.
“I think the needs are always evolving, and there’s no question that the demand for services is continuing to rise,” said LeBlanc.
He said there could be multiple reasons for a high demand for counselling services, including the impact of the current geopolitical events, and lingering impacts of pandemic isolation.
Ginette Petitpas Taylor, member of Parliament for Moncton-Dieppe, says the need for mental health services is huge across the province and the country, often leading to waitlists. (Rhythm Rathi/CBC)
“Learning to build healthy relationships, learning how to use social media effectively … all of these things have a factor on anxiety and depression levels,” he said.
Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the member of Parliament for Moncton-Dieppe, said she appreciates the free-of-cost and timely services delivered by Atlantic Wellness.
“Not just here in Moncton, but provincially and nationally, we see that there’s a huge need to have access to mental health services, and oftentimes there’s waiting lists,” she said.
The funding from the federal Youth Mental Health Fund runs through March 2029.