Refugee Mental Health Assistance and Immigration Services Society of B.C.

Immigration Services Society of B.C.: Federal funding cuts that came into effect this month have substantially reduced British Columbia's free refugee mental health assistance program. , according to CBC. Two of the four groups offering mental health counselling to refugees in the province have shut down their programs, and the number of full-time staff has been reduced from six to three. The Immigration Services Society of B.C. divided a combined $616,000 per year in provincial and federal funding between itself and three organizations offering free refugee mental health services -- Family Services of Greater Vancouver and the Bridge Clinic. That funding is now $260,000, after the federal government reduced its contribution to $80,000. The program's annual budget has been slashed from $616,000 to $260,000, a reduction of just under 60 per cent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.