After housing the Burnaby Mental Wealth Society for more than a decade, the homey twostorey clubhouse at 6112 Sussex Ave. is up for lease.
Brett Enemark, a parttime employee for the society, contacted the NOW on June 27 about the sign put in front of the building by the owner.
"The house is up for lease, but if we can find some funding, the owner is prepared to give us some room," Enemark wrote in an email to the NOW.
The society recently found out it would be losing its funding from Fraser Health as of Aug. 31, after operating in Burnaby for about 18 years. It has been based at the clubhouse for more than 13 years.
The society was told by Fraser Health to prepare a detailed application form for funding this year with 17 working days' notice in April, according to Jim Tessley, past-president of the society.
Tessley spoke to the NOW about the issue last month, along with another member, Carmina Tinaburri, who has since been voted in as president of the society's board.
It was the first time since the society was established and initially approved for funding that it had to submit a proposal, Tessley said.
The society was late turning it in by a matter of 15 minutes, he said, adding it was because of the complexity of the paperwork.
The society was told the application was rejected because it was late. Funding was awarded to the Canadian Mental Health Association instead.
"Our members have signed a petition stating that they are appalled by Fraser Health's behavior in regard to them," Enemark wrote. "They feel that Fraser Health set up a structure of re-application for funding that doomed the mentally ill people from the start."
The society is meeting with Fraser Health to determine how it can wind down services by the end of the summer, he said, as well as with the Canadian Mental Health Association, which was awarded the contract to provide clubhouse and drop-in services in Burnaby.
But they are still hopeful they can save the clubhouse before it comes to that.
The Burnaby Mental Wealth Society now has a Causes page on Facebook, according to Enemark, and is planning to post a YouTube video, as well.
Two Burnaby MLAs are aiding the society in its fight to secure funding and stay put - Raj Chouhan, New Democrat MLA for Burnaby-
Edmonds, and Kathy Corrigan, NDP MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake.
"I'm concerned because this is a small grassroots organization," Corrigan said in a phone interview.
She pointed out that an organization such as the Canadian Mental Health Association while it is certainly worthy of funding, has more resources than Burnaby Mental Wealth.
"The RFP (request for proposals) process is pretty onerous," she said, adding, "I think sometimes the proposal process doesn't reflect whether or not an organization is able to provide services."
The uncertainty is adversely affecting people who are least equipped to deal with such a stressful situation, she pointed out.
"It is creating a great deal of stress for people who need to have continuity and stability in their lives," Corrigan said.
She and Chouhan have written to Fraser Health's president and CEO, Dr. Nigel Murray, about the issue.
She has also suggested to the society that they work with the Canadian Mental Health Association to make sure the new clubhouse continues the type of programming the society has provided in Burnaby
thus far, if they are not able to secure new funding.
Roy Thorpe, spokesperson for Fraser Health, said that while the application was only late by a brief period of time, the request for proposals required a specific deadline.
The health authority put out the request in April after reviewing mental health services in Burnaby and assessing where there were duplicate services, or services missing, as in North Burnaby, he said.
The entire amount of funding, plus other program funding, will be going to a new Canadian Mental Health Association clubhouse that will open in September, he said.
The $400,000 annual contract will fund a full-time rehabilitation and recovery-focused clubhouse program, according to a press release from Fraser Health.
