| New Recreation Center for Homeless and Mentally Ill |
| Wed, November 21, 2012 |
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| A new facility that will provide a daily meal, medical referral and recreation for the homeless and mentally ill of Belize City was inaugurated this afternoon in Belize City.
The Mental Health Day Care/Resource Centre is at the corner of Tibruce and Vernon Streets.
It will not be a residential center but will have the capacity to benefit one hundred and fifty clients on a regular basis. More importantly it is designed to give the homeless a space where they can be productively engaged.
And with an increase in cases of mental illness in Belize over the years, the facility is seen as a major step forward:..
Dr. Peter Allen, CEO Ministry of Health
"It's a tremendously important day again for the Ministry of Health and the Mental Health Association. This building which we will inaugurate today is actually for the Mental Health Association constructed from a grant administered by the Social Investment Fund. The funds come to a little under six hundred thousand dollars, so it's a significant investment and its really to provide a day space for those with anything related to mental illness. It's such an important thing because there is so much fear I think and ignorance about mental health in all our communities and that reads stigma and discrimination and many of those affected by mental illness just needs a place to relax somewhere where can feel comfortable, somewhere where maybe they've come off their medications and they need to go back on to the medications; maybe they need a place where they could receive a bit of counseling or a proper meal and somewhere where they can feel comfortable and our care providers can provide the necessary clinical support services and this is that resource center. It's not a residential center. The idea is to provide that space where we can help people get back on their feet. We like people to think more about mental illness in the same ways as we consider diabetes and hypertension and any other chronic illness. This is a disease or condition that can affect any of us and it can be treated."
The center was built with a half a million dollar grant from the Caribbean Development Bank.
The center will be operated by the Mental Health Association in collaboration with the Ministry of health.
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