Hope’s “WE CARE” program is a consumer/survivor outreach program providing peer support and personal care items for mental health in-patients in a one-to-one contact with a trained peer volunteer.
Often a patient is admitted in a state of crisis, and some patients do not have access to soap, shampoo and other necessities.
Others are about to be discharged, and need a kit to take home.
A trained H.O.P.E. consumer/survivor staff or volunteer takes bags of personal needs items, socks and information about peer supports in the community to share with mental health inpatients at Brant Community Healthcare System.
Any inpatient on the mental health unit can self-identify and meet with the volunteer/staff for personal care items, information and/or peer support.
All staff and volunteers at HOPE have their own lived experience with mental health disorders and are able to offer non-judgemental and empathetic Peer Support from one mental health consumer to another and to help create linkages to peer supports and other resources for when a patient is discharged from hospital.
Since its inception on November 18, 2004, the “WE CARE” program has been a great success, providing kits and peer support to thousands of consumers of the mental health system.
H.O.P.E. staff/volunteers attend every Friday morning at the Brantford site.