Guest: Michelle Vanderzon (The Kettle Society)
In the 1970s as Riverview, the province’s mental health facility, was starting to wind down, “it left many people living with mild to severe mental health issues without resources and support in the community,” states The Kettle Society’s website. In response, “20 people living with mild to severe mental health issues prepared a brief addressing the need to develop a support service for people who were in need of psychiatric treatment in the community,” says Michelle Vanderzon, Director of Philanthropy, Strategic Partnerships and Communications at The Kettle Society.
The mandate was simple – provide support as a complement to existing treatment facilities and, in doing so, enrich lives, broaden personal and social horizons, and encourage participation in the community. “That was 50 years ago,” says Vanderzon. “Today, we’re providing services to more than 6,000 people a year.”
The Kettle Society operates multiple residential buildings, providing more than 400 units of housing, mental health drop-in services, daily meals, recovery support, legal advocacy and bank ID services, as well as health clinics.
We invited Michelle Vanderzon of The Kettle Society to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the role that not-for-profit organizations are playing in meeting the needs of people facing mental health, substance abuse, and poverty issues.
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