news release | Upstream Ottawa Mental Health Community Support

Upstream completes year of rapid growth

June 29, 2023

OTTAWA - Upstream Ottawa has completed a year of rapid growth, following two years of restrictions on operations due to COVID-19.

At its Annual General Meeting, held June 27, Executive Director Bo Turpin noted the major growth in Upstream operations with the addition of the Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth (SAPACCY), with four additional staff members hired to deliver this new program.

Mr. Turpin noted the increased complexity of mental health cases being dealt with by Upstream in the last year and the pressing need for adequate funding for mental health and substance-use health services in Ottawa. Wait times for intensive case management can now be up to four years.

Véronique Joncas, Chair of the Upstream Board of Directors, thanked the staff, volunteers and board for their efforts in the past year, noting the exceptional personal service to clients delivered by Upstream.

Ms. Joncas thanked three outgoing members of the Board of Directors for their contributions of time and expertise: Jane Murray, Elliot Culligan and Kelton Weekes.

Board members Nik Karajovic (Upstream Treasurer), Melonie Bidgood and Jenni Condon, were reappointed to two-year terms on the board.

Ms. Joncas noted that there will be some additional recruitment for the Board of Directors in the months ahead to add diversity, mental health experience and fundraising expertise to the board. Those interested may contact Upstream at info@upstreamottawa.ca.

The AGM meeting was hosted by KPMG at its downtown Ottawa office. KPMG has generously supported Upstream Ottawa over a number of years, through events like the AGM, as well as the financial expertise and time of staff, as board members.

Upstream provides a range of critical community supports and affordable housing options to adults and youth living with mental health and substance use health issues. Services include: intensive mental health case management, housing, youth support services with a focus on Black youth and their families, crisis prevention, medication management and life-skills coaching.

A complete list of Board Members is available on Upstream Ottawa - Our Board.

For more information go to upstreamottawa.ca, or contact us at info@upstreamottawa.ca.

June 29, 2023

Upstream Ottawa hosts BGC at Sens game

February 3, 2023

Ottawa, Ontario – Upstream Ottawa Mental Health Community Support was thrilled to host a group of youth from the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa (BGCO) at the Ottawa Senators-New York Islanders game at the Canadian Tire Centre on Bell Let’s Talk Day, Jan. 25. Joining the group were two Algonquin College public relations students involved in a class fundraising campaign for Upstream that starts in March.

The whole excursion was made possible by Bell Let’s Talk who kindly provided premium seats for the group. A private donor enabled us to provide food and transportation.

Upstream Ottawa’s new Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth, called SAPPACY, has been supporting the Boys and Girls Club for some time now. As Kim Prescod, a Youth Development & Program Specialist at the Ron Kolbus Clubhouse, said, “Upstream has been very supportive. They’ve been able to counsel some of our kids, so it’s been a good connection. We’ve done some things within the short period we’ve known Upstream, so it’s been fun.”

Attending the game – which was not only exciting but in which the Sens won 2-1 – “was a privilege,” Prescod added. “We’ve never had seats like this, ever. We’ll usually have boxes, but today, it was a treat to see the hockey game so close. They had food too, and [the kids] love that, so that’s just a gift. We really do appreciate that.”

The Algonquin College public relations students’ have elected to support the work of Upstream Ottawa via their 'Conquering the Current' fundraising campaign which launches on March 21, 2023.

February 3, 2023

Trillium grant builds stronger mental health services for Ottawa

November 18, 2022

Ottawa, Ontario – Upstream Ottawa Mental Health Community Support, a leader in frontline community mental health since 1985, today hosted a Zoom event to celebrate the $59,100 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). This grant is helping Upstream in its recovery from COVID-19 by building fundraising capacity in the organization.

“Today marks another success story and financial investment for our community here in Nepean. I was pleased in the last parliament to increase investments toward the Ontario Trillium Foundation by $105 million in one-time funding, to support excellent programs like this,” said Lisa MacLeod, MPP for Nepean. “Upstream Ottawa's core services include Intensive Case Management, serving on average 80 individuals who live with persistent mental illness, on an annual basis. Upstream also provides culturally appropriate mental health and substance-use services to Black, African and Caribbean youth. These programs empower individuals to create goals and strategies to manage their health and well-being. Each person in our community is valuable and should not be stigmatized for their mental health. We are thankful to be able to put those words into action today with our partners.”

With the support of this grant, Upstream Ottawa is rebuilding from the impacts of COVID-19 by diversifying its fundraising strategy, auditing its fundraising database, pursuing grants, developing new events, and empowering staff and board members as fundraisers.

“COVID-19 was hard on our clients and our staff team, and actually created a greater need for mental health and substance-use services,” said Bo Turpin, Executive Director of Upstream Ottawa. “But we got through it. This grant will help us respond to the increased demand for services and provide community-based programs that aren’t covered by government funding but can mean a big difference in the daily lives of our clients.”

Upstream Ottawa Mental Health Community Support provides a range of critical community supports and affordable housing options to people living with suspected or confirmed mental illness and/or substance-use concerns. Services include intensive mental health case management, housing, youth support services with a focus on Black youth and their families, crisis prevention, medication management and life-skills coaching.

For more information on Upstream, go to upstreamottawa.ca, call the Upstream Ottawa office at 248-3330 ext. 401, or send an email to info@upstreamottawa.ca

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) mission is to build healthy and vibrant communities across Ontario. As an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations, last year, OTF invested nearly $209M into 2,042 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund. Since 2020, OTF has supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

November 18, 2022