The Government of Ontario has given over $47,000 of capital funding to renovate the Four County Crisis and Safe Beds Program facility at Paddock Wood on Tuesday.
Paddock Wood hosts the 24-hour Four County Crisis Line and has six safe beds for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis that needs to get away from their current stressful environment. Most clients stay for three to five days.
The funding will allow for a fully accessible washroom, window replacements, exterior deck upgrades, flooring replacement and a fire escape, among other projects across three locations in Peterborough.
Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith was joined by Mark Graham, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (CMHA HKPR) to make the announcement.
“Those at CMHA reach out to everybody in the community,” said Smith. “so when they have an opportunity to modify one of their properties to make it more inclusive, there are more people they can serve. Mental health isn’t restricted to someone in good shape.”
This funding is part of the government’s $182.6 million investment provided through the Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund and the Community Infrastructure Renewal Fund (CIRF).
It will ensure that patients can continue to access the care they need in safe, comfortable environments and that the local health care system is prepared to respond to any scenario as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve.
“CMHA HKPR is pleased to once again receive capital funding from the Community Infrastructure Renewal Fund,” said Graham, “This funding will support our organization as we work to further improve the comfort, cleanliness, accessibility, and overall appearance of our sites, which positively impacts the quality of care we provide to our clients,”.”
Graham says all renovations will be complete within three to six months.