Mental Health and Addictions
Accessible.
Culturally safe.
Community led.
That’s the kind of mental health support everyone deserves.
Your support fuels a network of frontline services that ensure people have access to quick and affordable mental health, substance use, and crisis care.
No one should have to wait for help when life feels heavy.
Mental Health and Addictions
Accessible.
Culturally safe.
Community led.
That’s the kind of mental health support everyone deserves.
Your support fuels a network of frontline services that ensure people have access to quick and affordable mental health, substance use, and crisis care.
No one should have to wait for help when life feels heavy.
Jennifer’s family got immediate mental health counselling
Before the pandemic, when Jennifer went looking for mental health services for her son, she felt like she was hitting a wall. When she’d pick up the phone for help, she would get transferred around, or disconnected.
Virtual counselling made it much easier for Jennifer to connect with the care she and her son needed.
So easy, that it took only 12 hours from the time she reached out for support to the moment she was chatting with a mental health counsellor from the comfort of her home.
No one should suffer in silence
Although COVID-19 doesn’t affect our lives in the same way as it once did, many people are still dealing with the fallout from the isolation and anxiety of the last few years.
For your neighbour, sibling, coworker—or even you—mental health struggles and illness can be worsened by crises or a stroke of bad luck. The rising cost of living, the loss of a loved one, an increase in caregiving responsibilities, or any other of life’s curveballs only add pressure for someone who is already struggling.
Often, people experiencing the worst mental health also face barriers in getting help. When there aren’t enough places that feel safe, speak your language, or reflect your identity, it’s hard to know where to turn. Marginalized groups like Indigenous peoples, Black and racialized communities, 2SLGBTQ+ people, and those living in poverty are more likely to experience these challenges.
~1 in 5
Canadians aged 12+ reported that they needed help with their mental health in the past year, but 45% of those struggling felt their needs were unmet or only partially met.
30%
of Ottawa’s Black community who tried to access mental health services felt prejudice or negative attitudes from service providers.
3 in 10
older adults reported living alone, and more than 1 in 3 reported feelings of loneliness due to the pandemic.
10%
of Grade 7 and 8 students in Ottawa are using non-medical opioids. This number is the same for students in grades 9 to 12.
How we help
United Way East Ontario works with frontline mental health and addictions services across Prescott-Russell, Ottawa, Lanark County, and Renfrew County to ensure people have access to timely and culturally appropriate care.
By looking at the bigger picture, we set people on track for a healthy life with stable employment, housing, and positive social connections.
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Counselling
We work with our partners to provide affordable counselling and peer support that meets people where they're at — whether that's in-person, online, or by phone.
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Coordinating services
We participate in coalitions and partnerships that increase access to community-based mental health, substance use, and crisis counselling, including support for people experiencing gender-based and intimate partner violence.
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Problem solving
We bring people together to implement innovative solutions to mental health, crisis, and addictions service gaps: programs like Counselling Connect and Unsafe at Home help quickly reach people where they are, at no cost.
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Prevention
We lead project step: a community-wide initiative to ensure young people and their families have access to support, treatment, education, and prevention of harms related to substance and technology use.
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By community, for community
We work with diverse communities to ensure services are culturally safe and led by people who understand the effects racism, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of oppression can have on someone’s mental health.
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Advocacy
We advocate for increased base funding for mental health and addictions services to account for staff turnover, burnout, and demand that sharply increased during the pandemic, with the goal of ensuring more people get the help they need, when they need it.
What impact looks like
What impact looks like
Chances are, you know someone struggling with common, increasing, and dire mental health challenges. You can help people get the support they need, when they need it.
When you give to United Way East Ontario, you connect your neighbours with timely, accessible, and culturally appropriate mental health, addictions, and crisis care.
We take accountability seriously.
You should feel confident when supporting a charity, and we’re committed to full transparency, accountability, and cost-efficiency. We invest your gift in smart, strategic ways, to ultimately move the needle.
100% LOCAL IMPACT
Every donation is put to work in the community where it is raised to tackle the causes you care about.
TOP 100 CANADIAN CHARITY
Charity Intelligence, MoneySense & Maclean’s named United Way East Ontario a top-100 Canadian charity.
Learn more about United Way’s charity ratings and how your gift is managed here.
Need help?
If you or someone you know is seeking mental health help, here are some immediate resources you can use:
CALL 9-1-1
If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 9-1-1.
DISTRESS CENTRE OF OTTAWA AND REGION
24/7 access to a mental health support hub.
Visit dcottawa.on.ca
Call the Distress Line at 613-238-3311
Text 343-306-5550
211 EASTERN ONTARIO
Find community, social, government, and health services closest to you.
Visit 211ontario.ca or call 2-1-1
