More help is on the way for South Asian people living in Greater Vancouver who face mental health and substance-use challenges.
On Monday, the B.C. government announced plans to provide $100,000 in funding to create a community hub in which outreach workers and people with lived experience will connect with South Asians who are currently, or at risk of becoming, homeless.
In a statement, the province explained that the funding will support three, part-time outreach workers who are expected to support between 50 and 75 South Asian individuals who use drugs in the Lower Mainland, and up to 200 family members.
“Outreach workers will connect people and families with wraparound services and resources, such as food banks, income and housing supports, counselling, home detox programs and medical services,” the release details.
Surrey-Green Timbers MLA Rachna Singh says language is one of the major barriers preventing South Asian people from accessing potentially life-saving services.
“Understanding these barriers and using that information to create better services will save lives,” Singh said in Monday’s statement.
By fostering sustained, respectful and culturally responsive relationships, a board member of the South Asian Community Hub expects outreach workers will be able to ensure more families receive vital support.
“Too often these families are not aware of how to access financial aid and mental-health resources, as well as how to access harm-reduction supplies, detox or treatment,” said SACH’s Gary Thandi in the release.
SACH outreach workers are also expected to attend community meetings that will inform a report, which will outline ways to support South Asian people struggling with addiction, their mental health and homelessness.
The Fraser Health Authority established the South Asian Health Institute in 2013, with the goal of focusing on the unique health challenges facing that demographic.
According to the health authority, South Asian people are two to three times more likely to develop heart disease, kidney disease, stroke and diabetes 10 years earlier than other ethnic groups.
Like the South Asian Community Hub, SAHI is a community-based outreach program, complete with staff and volunteers who can speak various languages, including Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.
Fraser Health has created videos, handouts and posters with information about B.C.’s toxic drug crisis in those languages.
