When looking at our society and it's priorities this can be a touchy and subjective subject depending on who you are and what effects you personally. Government monies whether provincial or federal has many channels to go through to get to each end user. Being a Landlord myself I have bared witness to extremes ways of living. Through default I've had to intervene in situations taking on the role as Ann Landers, fielding issues outside of the realm of typical Landlord accountability. Unfortunately at times I need to attend to issues from individuals who are mentally ill. This is a challenging and complicated undertaking especially when empathizing with the individual.
Mental health issues effect society in the most dramatic ways yet politicians and law makers seem to avoid dealing with this problem head on. Perhaps they choose to turn a blind eye because everyone assumes there are "Systems" in place to manage those individuals with mental health challenges. Yes, there are some weakly structured organizations in place to provide some support and assistance to those individuals but when a problem occurs such a persons living conditions are not kept clean then no one can really help. When I refer to living conditions as not being clean I don't mean that there are a few dirty dishes lying around or dirty laundry hanging on the floor, I'm referring to feces on the floor, bed bugs, mold, filth everywhere, decomposed organic matter on the floor etc. This type of environment will effect the living conditions of other tenants and harbor disease and malaise.
Society not only ignores those individuals with mental health issues but lacks to have the foresight of its repercussions and aftereffects. The ripple effect takes on many forms and effects many government agencies(By-Law, Public Health, Social Services), health care providers,businesses, law enforcement agencies and landlords.
I'm hoping I will be proven wrong when I say that society (Lawmakers, Politicians etc) deems mental health concerns as not a priority primarily because there is not enough money to be made and it is not a viable election platform for garnering votes. Mental Illness is our modern day leprosy. This may sound extreme but so many people are effected by it as it can be perceived as a private or embarrassing condition if it effects oneself or family member. It can be more embarrassing than being identified as having an STD.
Whether it's OCD, ADHD, Depression, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Schizophrenia, PTSD etc. these are issues which need to be super served and not shunned or swept under the bureaucratic carpet. As a Landlord I have witnessed ALL of these conditions with tenants who have been diagnosed as such. There is a huge degree of anger, confusion and sadness in the lives of these folk.
On the other hand, when a person has too much pride or is unaware that they may have a mental illness issue and they are unemployable in the short or long term they are supported by welfare (Ontario Works), Instead these individuals should be diagnosed with having a disability and collect ODSP.
Personally I can attest the fact that there is no support system for Landlords in dealing with the conditions of habitat, rent collection, individual tenant support. There are some Landlords who are not fit to be Landlords however there needs to be a government and landlord support network in place to streamline the issues and help those individuals suffering from mental health problems.
So kudos to Bell Media for taking on the initiative of creating awareness of "Mental Health Awareness". Let's hope that it has touched a nerve in those individuals in government to initiate more change to offer more support to those individuals and families who are directly effected....and that would be everyone!
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