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By Erica Wright
The Birmingham Times
Beth Mitchell wanted to work but struggled to find a job. The Birmingham resident was diagnosed with depression and labored to find employment for five years until she eventually found her way to Workshops Empowerment Inc. (WE Inc.).
“They taught me basic work skills because I had been out of the workforce for [so long],” said Mitchell. “They let me tour [the facilities] and decide what type of job setting I would like to start working in.”
WE Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Birmingham’s Avondale community, offers a broad range of vocational rehabilitation services geared toward helping people with disabilities become employed. It also has programs designed to support people reentering society from prison or rehabilitation facilities and those who have been out of work over a long period of time.
By Erica Wright
The Birmingham Times
Thanks to Workshops Empowerment Inc. (WE Inc.), Corenza Smith, who had an on-again-off-again work history for several years, has secured steady employment and even won awards for her work.
“In 2015, I left WE Inc. and got a steady job with [Birmingham-based] Community Cleaning and Maintenance. In 2016, my job named me employee of the year,” she said. “[That same year, Alabama] Gov. Kay Ivey gave me an award for the district of Birmingham as employee of the year. … That was very special to me.”
WE Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Birmingham’s Avondale community, offers a broad range of vocational rehabilitation services geared toward helping people with disabilities become employed. It also offers programs to serve those reentering society from prison or rehabilitation facilities and those who have been out of work over a long period of time.
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The Canadian Mental Health Association, Elgin-Middlesex is partnering with two Middlesex County police forces to support officers responding to mental health and addiction calls.
As part of the initiative, called the Middlesex Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT), two mental health response workers will be embedded with Middlesex OPP and Strathroy-Caradoc police to respond to such calls.
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The program comes as both forces have seen an increase of 63 per cent in mental health- and addiction-related calls over the last three years.
LONDON, ONT A new initiative from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Middlesex OPP and Strathroy-Caradoc police is aiming to improve the way police respond to mental-health and addiction-related crisis calls in rural communities. The new Middlesex Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT) will see two mental health response workers join the OPP and Strathroy-Caradoc police. When a crisis call occurs one of the members will attend the call with police to provide assistance. Often when individuals or families experience a mental health or addiction-related crisis, they call the police as the first response. To better support those in crisis, police services have partnered with CMHA to develop mobile response teams that can provide immediate support to someone in distress, says Beth Mitchell, CEO of CMHA Elgin-Middlesex in a statement issued by Middlesex OPP.