The Adler University Vancouver Foundation was recently approved for two Emergency Community Support Fund grants to promote mental health, social inclusion and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In May, the Government of Canada created the Emergency Community Support Fund and allocated $350 million to be distributed to charities and non-profit organizations for urgently needed COVID-19 related response projects.
The Adler University Vancouver Foundation was awarded two of the grants, funded by the Government of Canada and administered by the United Way of Lower Mainland and the Vancouver Foundation locally. Totaling $85,000, these grants will support the establishment of our Virtual Community Care Clinics run by Adler Community Health Services.
“We are grateful for this support, which will allow our Adler Community Health Services students and staff to continue to provide free essential mental health services via telehealth,” said Kevin Osten-Garner, Psy.D., Executive Director of Adler Community Health Services and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. “It is critical that we are able to innovate to provide care for our communities, which is especially needed during this challenging time.”
Thank you to the United Way of Lower Mainland, and the Vancouver Foundation for awarding these Emergency Community Support Fund grants, funded by the Government of Canada. These critically needed funds will be used to hire a Registered Clinical Counsellor to oversee our students who are providing free virtual mental health care in partnership with front line organizations, as well as purchase internet-ready tablets for vulnerable clients.
The foundation arm of the Vancouver campus of Adler University, which received these grants, was created in 2017 to provide support for Canadian graduate level students to ensure they become socially responsible practitioners. Inspired by our namesake, Alfred Adler, the world’s first community psychologist, Adler University students provide critical mental health care to vulnerable populations through the intense hands-on practice-based curriculum, working with over 200 local community partners such as Lookout Society and Avalon Recovery Society in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The effects of the current health pandemic will be felt for decades and the training of Adler University students to become mental health practitioners and public policy advocates is critically important, now more than ever.