October 24, 2024 • 26 mins
In Episode 3 of A Way Forward: Conversations on Mental Health, presented by Beem Credit Union, host Jessica Samuels is joined by Mike Gawliuk, CEO of CMHA Kelowna, for a discussion on the cost of living and how it can affect one's mental health. This episode, Jessica and Mike explore how increased living expenses contribute to anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges, especially for vulnerable populations.
Key Topics Discussed:
- The Connection Between Cost of Living and Mental Health:
- Highlighting the link between low incomes and mental illness, exacerbated by rising costs and interest rates.
- The psychological burden of financial strain, emphasizing the stress on those with limited resources.
- Impact of Inflation on Social Interaction:
- The term "inflation isolation" is introduced, addressing how financial strain limits social activities that are crucial for mental well-being.
- Isolation can worsen mental health, transitioning from anxiety to more serious mental health issues.
- Vulnerable Populations:
- Identifying various groups particularly affected, including nonprofit sector workers, seniors on fixed incomes, and service industry employees.
- The challenges faced by these groups as costs rise.
- Resources Available:
- CMHA Kelowna’s Rent Bank program is highlighted, providing no-interest loans to those at risk of eviction.
- Other community resources for financial literacy and mental health support are shared, including food banks and counseling services.
- Managing Mental Health:
- An emphasis on the importance of self-awareness and recognizing changes in behavior and mood.
- Strategies for managing mental health during tough financial times are discussed, such as limiting technology use, seeking social connections, and engaging in free activities.
**Resources Mentioned:
- CMHA Kelowna: Mental Health Support Services | Canadian Mental Health Association Kelowna
- Rent Bank Program: Central Okanagan Rent Bank | Canadian Mental Health Association Kelowna
- Foundry Kelowna: Foundry - Where Wellness Takes Shape
- Virtual Counseling Services: Foundry Virtual BC - Foundry BC App
- Financial Literacy Programs: Home - Launch Okanagan
**General Mental Health Resources:**
If you or someone you know is struggling, CMHA Kelowna's Find Help Now page has a list of emergency and non-emergency resources for individuals of any age. CMHA Kelowna - Find Help Now
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jessica Samuels (00:00):
Hi. I'm Jessica Samuels, and welcome to episode
3 of A Way Forward presented byBeam Credit Union. In this
episode, we talk about the costof living and how we can manage
our mental health for asituation that really is beyond
our control. CMHA Kelowna CEOMike Goluch joins me. Mike, I
(00:24):
appreciate you being here totackle yet another really
complex and robust topic, thecost of living.
You know, whether or not youfeel you can afford it, how big
your bank account is, we're allimpacted by the cost of living.
I don't think any of us canignore that the cost of living
(00:44):
has significantly increased, inthe last few years and it is
taking a toll on people's mentalhealth.
Mike Gawliuk (00:53):
Absolutely. I would say, you know, it's kind
of the the post pandemic presentthat everybody's gotten, which
is really unfortunate becauseas, the cost of a living has
gone up, as interest rates havegone up, it is is created an
environment where, you know,people's anxiety is, is through
(01:13):
the roof and, where we see it,especially at CMHA is, the
reality that, mental illnessand, low incomes are are linked,
together. And and as cost ofliving increases, people that
have very little have even less.And so that's looked like things
(01:37):
like that talked with staffabout, you know, meeting basic
needs like food and the decisionto go, to the dollar store and,
that's that's where you'rebuying your, that's how you're
getting your your nutritionnutritional needs met, which is
not particularly healthy in thelong run. And, and so it has an
(02:00):
impact for sure.
I think the other thing the costof living has done when it comes
to mental health and access toservices is this. It's created
some inequities. So for peoplewho are employed that have a
benefit plan they can get accessto, private supports. But for
(02:23):
those that don't, or certainlydon't have income to to get to
those supports, then they relyon the public system. And what I
would say there is that we dohave a a public system.
But during times like this, thedemand for those services tend
to go up considerably. And as aresult, the weight to get
(02:46):
services and the type ofservices that you're going to
get look very differentdepending on, how much money you
make and, what kind of benefitsyou have access to.
Jessica Samuels (02:58):
So once again, some contributing societal,
community based factors as wellas individual factors that are
exacerbating the issue. Justjust to to go back to the
beginning part of what you said,what was interesting to me is in
my mind increased mental healthconcerns. In fact, increased
(03:29):
mental health concerns. In fact,you know, 33% of Canadians have
rated a higher sense of anxiety,depression, higher recent
diagnosis of mood disorder. Sothese are individuals as a
result of the cost of living.
So we can agree on that. Thepoint that you started to make,
(03:50):
which is something that I hadn'tconsidered, is you're an
individual who has a significantmental health concern, a mental
illness, perhaps some otherhealth based issues or troubles
in your life, and the cost ofliving is just adding to this
burden that you're feeling. Andthen not only that, you have an
(04:13):
overburdened system.
Mike Gawliuk (04:14):
Yes. I
Jessica Samuels (04:15):
mean, this is this is a domino effect we're
experiencing.
Mike Gawliuk (04:18):
100%. And, and and it's it's extremely concerning,
to see people struggling, theway that they are.
Jessica Samuels (04:26):
Mhmm. We have the, costs. So you talked about
rents and mortgages are kind ofthe have to haves. You have to
be able to pay for a place tolive, a home, hopefully for
transportation to get to do thethings, sometimes to do the
things you need to do in orderto make money and for groceries.
(04:48):
So those, are vulnerablepopulations, in our community
who are already struggling withthat.
And then there's also the addedidea of, I'm going to call them
the supplemental or the nice tohaves, that actually do support
our mental health as well. Sosome things like connecting with
(05:09):
friends, having fun, even evengoing out to experience
activities. And this doesn'tnecessarily mean going for
dinner or whatever, butaccessing our hiking trails.
This is also impacting, people'smental health.
Mike Gawliuk (05:26):
Yeah. And I think a quote that we talked about was
this notion of inflationisolation, and the reality of
people not getting together asmuch as they once did due to the
realities of cost of living.And, yeah, I mean, it's a real
real double whammy. Right? Like,what the pandemic showed us is
(05:49):
that, while social isolation wasthe thing that was, to keep
people healthy, that's the thingthat also, is, really not
helpful towards people's mentalhealth and isolation, certainly
can take poor mental health andpush it towards mental illness.
Jessica Samuels (06:12):
Right.
Mike Gawliuk (06:12):
Yeah.
Jessica Samuels (06:13):
Yeah. Exactly. It's actually a contributing
factor. So the idea being that Idon't have the money to go and
see my friends or to go, taketransportation to an outdoor
activity. I need to save this.
And and so you're home alone oryou're not having those social
interactions and therefore isimpacting your mental health.
(06:35):
Are there other groups incommunities that are notably
experiencing, are morevulnerable to this? Because
sometimes we know as theselarger societal issues take
place, we have large, you know,I want to use the term pockets,
but I feel like pockets belieslike these small little
individual folks.
Mike Gawliuk (06:53):
But these groups of folks who who
Jessica Samuels (06:53):
are being, impacted more. You talked about
of folks who who are being,impacted more. You talked about
some of the people we serve hereat CMHA Kelowna. Who else in the
community?
Mike Gawliuk (07:03):
I mean, one of the things that because we're so
close to it, is the nonprofitsector itself, in a scenario
whereby wages aren't alwaysparticularly strong in
comparison to like governmentjobs and those pieces of things.
That's put strain on on peopleas well. Sort of leading them to
(07:27):
the need to take on, extra workand so, certainly, I've seen
people who are like working, 2jobs at a time and sometimes
that means like, you know, 2shifts a day and, that's just a
recipe for, for for burnout. Andat the end of the day, it's
what's necessary to be able to,not just have the nice to haves,
(07:51):
but to to be able to pay forthose basic, things that meet
your human needs. Mhmm.
Jessica Samuels (07:57):
Nonprofit sector as well as, you know, the
Kelowna, how we are, oftendescribed as a tourism town or a
town that supports a lot offolks who are on that hourly
wage, which any point in timecount or any latest study shows
that oftentimes that minimumwage or that wage being paid is
(08:19):
actually not enough to support.And so you talked about
nonprofit sector. In thisinstance, I'm talking I happen
to be talking about, foodservice workers, but I can
imagine that there is a breadthof people within our community
that fall within that category.And then we have people who are
in fixed incomes, elderly folks,other vulnerable populations.
Mike Gawliuk (08:42):
Yeah, I think certainly what we've, what we've
seen is in terms of seniors andand that's not a surprise. It's
been certainly in the media isthat, for those that on a fixed
income, you know, when the costof living goes up and that fixed
income stays the same, it justadds compounds to the pressure
(09:04):
and, you know, the conversationabout the number of seniors who
are at risk of losing the roofover their head is is been
something that, has been talkedabout a lot and it's not
something that's, been assignificant to concern as it has
been over the past couple ofyears.
Jessica Samuels (09:23):
And so then as as you're talking about that and
things that are within ourcontrol and uncontrollable,
because that's really what makesthis conversation tough. I mean,
we're talking about somethingthat, we can't do anything about
at this stage. And when I saywe, I mean, you and I as
individuals, and and some of thetopics that we talk about on
(09:45):
here feel like they're a littlebit beyond our control. But we
try to offer resources forpeople to better manage. The
fact of the matter is things areexpensive and it's super hard to
manage right now.
So just we're kind of prefacingthat as as we have this this
conversation. So really, as wefocus in moving forward, we want
(10:10):
to talk about perhaps someresources that can help. And
then we actually are going toget into how folks can manage
their everyday mental health andwell-being. When you're talking
about seniors, the first thingI'm thinking about is that
affordable housing piece, whichwe have talked about in a
previous episode. And that issomething hopefully that we're
(10:32):
seeing some incremental reprieveon as as the landscape shifts.
Mike Gawliuk (10:37):
Certainly, through the through the province and
some of the fundingannouncements around new
affordable housing, seniors is apopulation that's, been
identified there. Again, whichis encouraging, but it still
takes time to get to the placewhere where that housing is
built and available. So thereare are certainly moves forward,
(11:01):
that are taking place, But it'sit's it's certainly is remains a
challenge. There's no doubtabout that.
Jessica Samuels (11:08):
Mhmm. Right. Okay. Affordable housing.
Another thing to tackle.
Again, maybe listen to a littlebit of episode 2 for more about
that. In order for folks to whomaybe are in their existing
homes, and they're feeling thatthey can't manage the have to
haves, so their rent or theirmortgage, they're employed.
(11:32):
There are some resources outthere. One of the ones is Rent
Bank. CMHA Kelowna is theoperator of Rent Bank here in
the central Okanagan.
Talk a little bit about thatprogram because you've been
operating that program for howlong?
Mike Gawliuk (11:46):
Since 2021.
Jessica Samuels (11:49):
Okay. So, let's share a little bit about who the
program serves and then maybesome recent wins or success
stories.
Mike Gawliuk (11:59):
So Rent Bank was, launched in Central Okanagan in
2021 after a pilot, in the lowermainland. The idea behind it is
to provide people who areeviction vulnerable, those that
are maybe 1 paycheck away fromlosing their home, with 1 a one
(12:23):
time no interest loan. In somecases, it can be combined with a
grant depending on financialneed. The demand has been not
surprisingly significant. Lastyear, there were 511, pre
assessments done for the rentbank.
We gave out just under a 114,000dollars which affected about 259
(12:50):
people, 80 of which, arechildren. I think what's
important to note about the RentBank is we we take a look at the
full picture. So when someonecomes in and applies for a loan,
one of the first things we we welook for and ask for is
information on on income and,sort of where they're at. And
(13:13):
if, if it's sort of flagged thatthere's potentially challenges
with, financial management or,you know, that there's not a
sustainable plan in place. Welook to refer people to, to
other resources in thecommunity.
We've got a partnership withLaunch Okanagan, which is a
program that that teachesfinancial literacy. Certainly in
(13:36):
some cases where people haverelied on debt, in order to to
pay their bills. It certainlycould be, a referral to, debt
counseling to try and, help getthat situation sorted out. For
me, you know, the reality ofthis is that we're seeing people
(13:59):
who, by no fault of their ownare finding themselves in, in
financial jeopardy. The cost ofliving is impacting on that.
But we see people who are withwith health concerns, who maybe
are off work for a month, andthat makes the difference
between having enough to to paythat rent or not. People that
(14:20):
have experienced, relationshipissues and, and maybe a breakup
where, that's necessary in orderto, again keep that that roof
over their head. So it's it'scircumstances that are taking
place in their life combinedwith, the cost of living, that
we're trying to, impact by,providing people with, with some
(14:45):
financial support, to continueto keep that roof over their
head.
Jessica Samuels (14:50):
Right. And BC Rent Bank, as you mentioned, is
operated here in the Okanagan.It's all across the province,
and so folks can have a look,and go to their website and see
if there's a Rent Bank in theircommunity. As are things like
like, financial literacyprograms. You mentioned Launch,
but there are entities, debtcredit solutions, out there who
(15:12):
really are here to supportindividuals who are managing the
burden of of financialchallenges.
Mike Gawliuk (15:21):
Yeah. I mean, there certainly are those
resources, and that's ultimatelyfor, individuals who, who need
that kind of support for thosethat, are struggling to sustain
as a result of, incomechallenges. You know, they're
the resources that we werereferred to look a little bit
(15:42):
different. It's a referral tothe food bank. It's a referral
to, like share where they mightbe able to get clothes or
furniture, those kinds ofthings, where they can get free
resources that will help to meetsome of those basic needs, that
becomes the response there.
And there is a population thatwalks in, and applies to Rent
(16:04):
Bank that that needs that kindof support as well.
Jessica Samuels (16:06):
Needs that support as well. And then on top
of the other mental healthresources and medical resources.
Okay, so let's talk about, youknow, there's this this tenant,
when we're talking aboutmanaging mental health, and I
always remember this and I sayit to my husband, and I'm sure
he rolls his eyes and my friendsand I say, let's focus on what
(16:27):
we can control. And in thisparticular instance, this is a
topic which I think we've we'vecovered that is not necessarily
something that we can control, Ican't necessarily control the
the price of gas, how much acucumber costs. You know, I
(16:47):
might be able to ask for a raiseat work, but then we get into
the whole thing about businessowners and the challenges with
that.
So there are those parts of thesolutions. And then there's also
how, as individuals, we manageour mental health in this time
facing something we cannotcontrol. So in this instance
(17:09):
it's cost of living, but reallythese are gonna be good
practices when you find yourselfin situations like this.
Mike Gawliuk (17:15):
Oh, for sure. I I think when we talk about,
managing mental health, I mean,especially in a time like this,
that's actually something thatwe do have control over.
Jessica Samuels (17:25):
Right.
Mike Gawliuk (17:25):
So there there are things that we can do. Again,
talking about connection,reaching out to friends, family,
trying to connect, haveconversations, really try not to
isolate where possible. Thereare activities that you can do
that that don't have necessarilycosts attached to it. Go for a
(17:45):
walk, go for a run, withfriends, in order to to really
try to manage your mentalhealth. One of the things that
we can do is, sometimestechnology plays a role in this
in terms of increasing anxietyand so the, you know, the doom
scrolling and when you see thestories that come out that are,
(18:08):
going to heighten that anxiety,it's it's probably it's probably
time to put that technology awayand sort of move away from,
getting lost and fixated on thatbecause that will just cause
perseveration and increasedanxiety.
Mhmm.
Jessica Samuels (18:29):
And you mentioned when you're talking
about technology, but I alsothink it's outside of technology
as well. You know, for those ofus who still turn on the TV and
are watching, you know, shows orheadlines, also, being careful
about, what you expose yourselfbeing careful about what you
expose yourself out into thecommunity. These are things that
(18:51):
we can manage. And in my yearsat CMHA, Kelowna, what has,
always surprised me is that howmuch these steps that we can
take day in and day out or everyother day or every other week
actually can impact and help usmanage and also prepare us for
the day forward and prepare andreframe on our outlook. So you
(19:15):
mentioned doomscrolling.
If I'm watching know, certainshows and watching the scroll on
the bottom of the news, theseare things that are giving me a
heightened sense of angst andanxiety. And so if I'm going
throughout my day with this,going to bed with it, waking up
with it, I'm kind of at thislevel. And then I find out that
(19:37):
gas has gone up again. And, youknow, they didn't decrease the
mortgage rate. They kept iteven.
And I was counting on thoselittle extra dollars. Like,
these are very real things. Sothere is a correlation. So
you're talking about connection,not doomscrolling. Let's talk
about some of those basic tenetsof of mental health and what
folks need to watch out for forthemselves to recognize if this
(19:59):
is more than, a momentarilymomentary or slight mental
health issue and this is alarger mental health concern.
Mike Gawliuk (20:09):
Yeah. I mean, I think self awareness in this
case and getting a sense ofwhat's happening for you and
certainly, for those around you,you know, supporting and giving
some feedback is helpful. Ithink anything that's a
significant change, we need topay attention to. So, like, that
(20:29):
includes, like, changes in, insleep patterns. It, in, it
includes, like, changes in, foodand how we eat and, and what
that looks like.
Our moods. Right? It can mean,increased irritability or,
increased withdrawal fromcertain circumstances and
(20:50):
situations. And so, I think,when we're experiencing things
that are out of the ordinary andthose last for a period of time,
then that's probably the timethat reaching out to. In this
case, depending on what'savailable, you know, whether
it's supports through yourbenefit plan or the public
(21:12):
system, that's the time, to toask for help because those are
some signs that it may be movingbeyond, just managing anxiety
to, moving towards mentalillness.
I I think it's important as wellthat people take care of those
things like, you know, diet,exercise, sleep, like trying to
(21:36):
to stay within routine, and andand follow through with those
activities are things that weknow that promote mental
wellness Mhmm. And I think areessential, as we, face
struggles, whether, again, costof living or other factors that
are impacting on our mentalhealth and wellness.
Jessica Samuels (21:56):
Right. And I I I love what you said there that
this is out of the norm for whatis normal for us. So how I sleep
or how I eat might be differentfrom yourself or maybe somebody
else in our family. And so whatis what is normal for me and
recognizing and having that selfawareness? Just before we wrap
up, what can we, where can wedirect folks to?
(22:18):
So we talked about the cost ofliving resources and the rent
bank, but let's just reallyfocus on those mental health
resources. Obviously, CMHAKelowna is a resource in our
community. CMHA Kelowna is theoperator of Foundry Kelowna.
There's foundries all across theprovince. And in episode 1, we
talked about youth mental healthas well.
(22:38):
What are some good mental healthresources that people can
access?
Mike Gawliuk (22:42):
I think one of the things that we operate, is
virtual counseling and that'sfor a population of adults,
couples, caregivers, and again,easily accessible virtual based
and so I would encourage accessto that.
Jessica Samuels (22:59):
Is that little or no fee?
Mike Gawliuk (23:01):
It's no fee.
Jessica Samuels (23:01):
No fee.
Mike Gawliuk (23:02):
So that's a free service. In terms of the public
system, certainly mental healthand substitute services are
located down on Doyle Avenuethrough Interior Health. We'll
provide information in terms ofhow to access that.
Jessica Samuels (23:18):
Yeah.
Mike Gawliuk (23:19):
But certainly that would be a place to turn as well
if you're feeling it sort of gothat way. If, and I say if,
because not everybody does, ifyou have a family doctor, talk
to your physician, and they cansort of work with you from
there, to to move thingsforward. So those are just some
(23:39):
resources that exist. There's aload of private counseling that
exists across this community.Again, a number of different
places to turn, if you have, themeans to do so.
And, we'll we'll point out a fewof those as well.
Jessica Samuels (23:54):
Yes, exactly. So we may not be able to
actively impact the cost ofliving in our life, but we can
impact as individuals how wemanage the stress that we're
experiencing through cost ofliving.
Mike Gawliuk (24:08):
Absolutely. And I think, I think one thing is,
hopefully some perspective isthat we are seeing slight
changes, right? Yeah. Interestrates are starting to come down
and it's predicted they'llcontinue to come down more.
Again, from from a housingperspective, we're seeing more
(24:28):
rental housing coming onlinewithin Kelowna, which means that
the vacancy rate is gonna gofrom what has been unprecedented
lows to a little bit morebalanced, which will have an
impact.
It's not certainly gonna be thesolution for everything, but it
does mean that rents are goingto come down a little bit. So,
there is some light at the endof the tunnel. I know that can
(24:51):
feel challenging when you'reyou're in the moment. And again,
when you're in the moment, youknow, take us up on some of
those resources and some ofthose things that we've
encouraged to maintain positivemental health.
Jessica Samuels (25:05):
Mike, thank you once again for sharing these
resources. And of course, athank you to our podcast
sponsor, Beam Credit Union. Bothyourself and Beam Credit Union
are making these discussionspossible. And in instances like
this, when when we havesomething that is impacting
every one of us, this is where Ireally feel that these come into
play and it's important to spenda bit of time.
Mike Gawliuk (25:27):
Yeah. I think these are essential
conversations. And I think, theopportunity for people to to
talk to one another, again, touse this information to help
support themselves or someonethat they work with or they they
they care about. These these arewhy we have these conversations
is to help to increase thatlevel of awareness, provide some
(25:48):
tools and access to resources sothat people can have, positive
mental health.
Jessica Samuels (25:55):
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Union.
Hi. I'm Jessica Samuels, and welcome to episode
3 of A Way Forward presented byBeam Credit Union. In this
episode, we talk about the costof living and how we can manage
our mental health for asituation that really is beyond
our control. CMHA Kelowna CEOMike Goluch joins me. Mike, I
(00:24):
appreciate you being here totackle yet another really
complex and robust topic, thecost of living.
You know, whether or not youfeel you can afford it, how big
your bank account is, we're allimpacted by the cost of living.
I don't think any of us canignore that the cost of living
(00:44):
has significantly increased, inthe last few years and it is
taking a toll on people's mentalhealth.
Mike Gawliuk (00:53):
Absolutely. I would say, you know, it's kind
of the the post pandemic presentthat everybody's gotten, which
is really unfortunate becauseas, the cost of a living has
gone up, as interest rates havegone up, it is is created an
environment where, you know,people's anxiety is, is through
(01:13):
the roof and, where we see it,especially at CMHA is, the
reality that, mental illnessand, low incomes are are linked,
together. And and as cost ofliving increases, people that
have very little have even less.And so that's looked like things
(01:37):
like that talked with staffabout, you know, meeting basic
needs like food and the decisionto go, to the dollar store and,
that's that's where you'rebuying your, that's how you're
getting your your nutritionnutritional needs met, which is
not particularly healthy in thelong run. And, and so it has an
(02:00):
impact for sure.
I think the other thing the costof living has done when it comes
to mental health and access toservices is this. It's created
some inequities. So for peoplewho are employed that have a
benefit plan they can get accessto, private supports. But for
(02:23):
those that don't, or certainlydon't have income to to get to
those supports, then they relyon the public system. And what I
would say there is that we dohave a a public system.
But during times like this, thedemand for those services tend
to go up considerably. And as aresult, the weight to get
(02:46):
services and the type ofservices that you're going to
get look very differentdepending on, how much money you
make and, what kind of benefitsyou have access to.
Jessica Samuels (02:58):
So once again, some contributing societal,
community based factors as wellas individual factors that are
exacerbating the issue. Justjust to to go back to the
beginning part of what you said,what was interesting to me is in
my mind increased mental healthconcerns. In fact, increased
(03:29):
mental health concerns. In fact,you know, 33% of Canadians have
rated a higher sense of anxiety,depression, higher recent
diagnosis of mood disorder. Sothese are individuals as a
result of the cost of living.
So we can agree on that. Thepoint that you started to make,
(03:50):
which is something that I hadn'tconsidered, is you're an
individual who has a significantmental health concern, a mental
illness, perhaps some otherhealth based issues or troubles
in your life, and the cost ofliving is just adding to this
burden that you're feeling. Andthen not only that, you have an
(04:13):
overburdened system.
Mike Gawliuk (04:14):
Yes. I
Jessica Samuels (04:15):
mean, this is this is a domino effect we're
experiencing.
Mike Gawliuk (04:18):
100%. And, and and it's it's extremely concerning,
to see people struggling, theway that they are.
Jessica Samuels (04:26):
Mhmm. We have the, costs. So you talked about
rents and mortgages are kind ofthe have to haves. You have to
be able to pay for a place tolive, a home, hopefully for
transportation to get to do thethings, sometimes to do the
things you need to do in orderto make money and for groceries.
(04:48):
So those, are vulnerablepopulations, in our community
who are already struggling withthat.
And then there's also the addedidea of, I'm going to call them
the supplemental or the nice tohaves, that actually do support
our mental health as well. Sosome things like connecting with
(05:09):
friends, having fun, even evengoing out to experience
activities. And this doesn'tnecessarily mean going for
dinner or whatever, butaccessing our hiking trails.
This is also impacting, people'smental health.
Mike Gawliuk (05:26):
Yeah. And I think a quote that we talked about was
this notion of inflationisolation, and the reality of
people not getting together asmuch as they once did due to the
realities of cost of living.And, yeah, I mean, it's a real
real double whammy. Right? Like,what the pandemic showed us is
(05:49):
that, while social isolation wasthe thing that was, to keep
people healthy, that's the thingthat also, is, really not
helpful towards people's mentalhealth and isolation, certainly
can take poor mental health andpush it towards mental illness.
Jessica Samuels (06:12):
Right.
Mike Gawliuk (06:12):
Yeah.
Jessica Samuels (06:13):
Yeah. Exactly. It's actually a contributing
factor. So the idea being that Idon't have the money to go and
see my friends or to go, taketransportation to an outdoor
activity. I need to save this.
And and so you're home alone oryou're not having those social
interactions and therefore isimpacting your mental health.
(06:35):
Are there other groups incommunities that are notably
experiencing, are morevulnerable to this? Because
sometimes we know as theselarger societal issues take
place, we have large, you know,I want to use the term pockets,
but I feel like pockets belieslike these small little
individual folks.
Mike Gawliuk (06:53):
But these groups of folks who who
Jessica Samuels (06:53):
are being, impacted more. You talked about
of folks who who are being,impacted more. You talked about
some of the people we serve hereat CMHA Kelowna. Who else in the
community?
Mike Gawliuk (07:03):
I mean, one of the things that because we're so
close to it, is the nonprofitsector itself, in a scenario
whereby wages aren't alwaysparticularly strong in
comparison to like governmentjobs and those pieces of things.
That's put strain on on peopleas well. Sort of leading them to
(07:27):
the need to take on, extra workand so, certainly, I've seen
people who are like working, 2jobs at a time and sometimes
that means like, you know, 2shifts a day and, that's just a
recipe for, for for burnout. Andat the end of the day, it's
what's necessary to be able to,not just have the nice to haves,
(07:51):
but to to be able to pay forthose basic, things that meet
your human needs. Mhmm.
Jessica Samuels (07:57):
Nonprofit sector as well as, you know, the
Kelowna, how we are, oftendescribed as a tourism town or a
town that supports a lot offolks who are on that hourly
wage, which any point in timecount or any latest study shows
that oftentimes that minimumwage or that wage being paid is
(08:19):
actually not enough to support.And so you talked about
nonprofit sector. In thisinstance, I'm talking I happen
to be talking about, foodservice workers, but I can
imagine that there is a breadthof people within our community
that fall within that category.And then we have people who are
in fixed incomes, elderly folks,other vulnerable populations.
Mike Gawliuk (08:42):
Yeah, I think certainly what we've, what we've
seen is in terms of seniors andand that's not a surprise. It's
been certainly in the media isthat, for those that on a fixed
income, you know, when the costof living goes up and that fixed
income stays the same, it justadds compounds to the pressure
(09:04):
and, you know, the conversationabout the number of seniors who
are at risk of losing the roofover their head is is been
something that, has been talkedabout a lot and it's not
something that's, been assignificant to concern as it has
been over the past couple ofyears.
Jessica Samuels (09:23):
And so then as as you're talking about that and
things that are within ourcontrol and uncontrollable,
because that's really what makesthis conversation tough. I mean,
we're talking about somethingthat, we can't do anything about
at this stage. And when I saywe, I mean, you and I as
individuals, and and some of thetopics that we talk about on
(09:45):
here feel like they're a littlebit beyond our control. But we
try to offer resources forpeople to better manage. The
fact of the matter is things areexpensive and it's super hard to
manage right now.
So just we're kind of prefacingthat as as we have this this
conversation. So really, as wefocus in moving forward, we want
(10:10):
to talk about perhaps someresources that can help. And
then we actually are going toget into how folks can manage
their everyday mental health andwell-being. When you're talking
about seniors, the first thingI'm thinking about is that
affordable housing piece, whichwe have talked about in a
previous episode. And that issomething hopefully that we're
(10:32):
seeing some incremental reprieveon as as the landscape shifts.
Mike Gawliuk (10:37):
Certainly, through the through the province and
some of the fundingannouncements around new
affordable housing, seniors is apopulation that's, been
identified there. Again, whichis encouraging, but it still
takes time to get to the placewhere where that housing is
built and available. So thereare are certainly moves forward,
(11:01):
that are taking place, But it'sit's it's certainly is remains a
challenge. There's no doubtabout that.
Jessica Samuels (11:08):
Mhmm. Right. Okay. Affordable housing.
Another thing to tackle.
Again, maybe listen to a littlebit of episode 2 for more about
that. In order for folks to whomaybe are in their existing
homes, and they're feeling thatthey can't manage the have to
haves, so their rent or theirmortgage, they're employed.
(11:32):
There are some resources outthere. One of the ones is Rent
Bank. CMHA Kelowna is theoperator of Rent Bank here in
the central Okanagan.
Talk a little bit about thatprogram because you've been
operating that program for howlong?
Mike Gawliuk (11:46):
Since 2021.
Jessica Samuels (11:49):
Okay. So, let's share a little bit about who the
program serves and then maybesome recent wins or success
stories.
Mike Gawliuk (11:59):
So Rent Bank was, launched in Central Okanagan in
2021 after a pilot, in the lowermainland. The idea behind it is
to provide people who areeviction vulnerable, those that
are maybe 1 paycheck away fromlosing their home, with 1 a one
(12:23):
time no interest loan. In somecases, it can be combined with a
grant depending on financialneed. The demand has been not
surprisingly significant. Lastyear, there were 511, pre
assessments done for the rentbank.
We gave out just under a 114,000dollars which affected about 259
(12:50):
people, 80 of which, arechildren. I think what's
important to note about the RentBank is we we take a look at the
full picture. So when someonecomes in and applies for a loan,
one of the first things we we welook for and ask for is
information on on income and,sort of where they're at. And
(13:13):
if, if it's sort of flagged thatthere's potentially challenges
with, financial management or,you know, that there's not a
sustainable plan in place. Welook to refer people to, to
other resources in thecommunity.
We've got a partnership withLaunch Okanagan, which is a
program that that teachesfinancial literacy. Certainly in
(13:36):
some cases where people haverelied on debt, in order to to
pay their bills. It certainlycould be, a referral to, debt
counseling to try and, help getthat situation sorted out. For
me, you know, the reality ofthis is that we're seeing people
(13:59):
who, by no fault of their ownare finding themselves in, in
financial jeopardy. The cost ofliving is impacting on that.
But we see people who are withwith health concerns, who maybe
are off work for a month, andthat makes the difference
between having enough to to paythat rent or not. People that
(14:20):
have experienced, relationshipissues and, and maybe a breakup
where, that's necessary in orderto, again keep that that roof
over their head. So it's it'scircumstances that are taking
place in their life combinedwith, the cost of living, that
we're trying to, impact by,providing people with, with some
(14:45):
financial support, to continueto keep that roof over their
head.
Jessica Samuels (14:50):
Right. And BC Rent Bank, as you mentioned, is
operated here in the Okanagan.It's all across the province,
and so folks can have a look,and go to their website and see
if there's a Rent Bank in theircommunity. As are things like
like, financial literacyprograms. You mentioned Launch,
but there are entities, debtcredit solutions, out there who
(15:12):
really are here to supportindividuals who are managing the
burden of of financialchallenges.
Mike Gawliuk (15:21):
Yeah. I mean, there certainly are those
resources, and that's ultimatelyfor, individuals who, who need
that kind of support for thosethat, are struggling to sustain
as a result of, incomechallenges. You know, they're
the resources that we werereferred to look a little bit
(15:42):
different. It's a referral tothe food bank. It's a referral
to, like share where they mightbe able to get clothes or
furniture, those kinds ofthings, where they can get free
resources that will help to meetsome of those basic needs, that
becomes the response there.
And there is a population thatwalks in, and applies to Rent
(16:04):
Bank that that needs that kindof support as well.
Jessica Samuels (16:06):
Needs that support as well. And then on top
of the other mental healthresources and medical resources.
Okay, so let's talk about, youknow, there's this this tenant,
when we're talking aboutmanaging mental health, and I
always remember this and I sayit to my husband, and I'm sure
he rolls his eyes and my friendsand I say, let's focus on what
(16:27):
we can control. And in thisparticular instance, this is a
topic which I think we've we'vecovered that is not necessarily
something that we can control, Ican't necessarily control the
the price of gas, how much acucumber costs. You know, I
(16:47):
might be able to ask for a raiseat work, but then we get into
the whole thing about businessowners and the challenges with
that.
So there are those parts of thesolutions. And then there's also
how, as individuals, we manageour mental health in this time
facing something we cannotcontrol. So in this instance
(17:09):
it's cost of living, but reallythese are gonna be good
practices when you find yourselfin situations like this.
Mike Gawliuk (17:15):
Oh, for sure. I I think when we talk about,
managing mental health, I mean,especially in a time like this,
that's actually something thatwe do have control over.
Jessica Samuels (17:25):
Right.
Mike Gawliuk (17:25):
So there there are things that we can do. Again,
talking about connection,reaching out to friends, family,
trying to connect, haveconversations, really try not to
isolate where possible. Thereare activities that you can do
that that don't have necessarilycosts attached to it. Go for a
(17:45):
walk, go for a run, withfriends, in order to to really
try to manage your mentalhealth. One of the things that
we can do is, sometimestechnology plays a role in this
in terms of increasing anxietyand so the, you know, the doom
scrolling and when you see thestories that come out that are,
(18:08):
going to heighten that anxiety,it's it's probably it's probably
time to put that technology awayand sort of move away from,
getting lost and fixated on thatbecause that will just cause
perseveration and increasedanxiety.
Mhmm.
Jessica Samuels (18:29):
And you mentioned when you're talking
about technology, but I alsothink it's outside of technology
as well. You know, for those ofus who still turn on the TV and
are watching, you know, shows orheadlines, also, being careful
about, what you expose yourselfbeing careful about what you
expose yourself out into thecommunity. These are things that
(18:51):
we can manage. And in my yearsat CMHA, Kelowna, what has,
always surprised me is that howmuch these steps that we can
take day in and day out or everyother day or every other week
actually can impact and help usmanage and also prepare us for
the day forward and prepare andreframe on our outlook. So you
(19:15):
mentioned doomscrolling.
If I'm watching know, certainshows and watching the scroll on
the bottom of the news, theseare things that are giving me a
heightened sense of angst andanxiety. And so if I'm going
throughout my day with this,going to bed with it, waking up
with it, I'm kind of at thislevel. And then I find out that
(19:37):
gas has gone up again. And, youknow, they didn't decrease the
mortgage rate. They kept iteven.
And I was counting on thoselittle extra dollars. Like,
these are very real things. Sothere is a correlation. So
you're talking about connection,not doomscrolling. Let's talk
about some of those basic tenetsof of mental health and what
folks need to watch out for forthemselves to recognize if this
(19:59):
is more than, a momentarilymomentary or slight mental
health issue and this is alarger mental health concern.
Mike Gawliuk (20:09):
Yeah. I mean, I think self awareness in this
case and getting a sense ofwhat's happening for you and
certainly, for those around you,you know, supporting and giving
some feedback is helpful. Ithink anything that's a
significant change, we need topay attention to. So, like, that
(20:29):
includes, like, changes in, insleep patterns. It, in, it
includes, like, changes in, foodand how we eat and, and what
that looks like.
Our moods. Right? It can mean,increased irritability or,
increased withdrawal fromcertain circumstances and
(20:50):
situations. And so, I think,when we're experiencing things
that are out of the ordinary andthose last for a period of time,
then that's probably the timethat reaching out to. In this
case, depending on what'savailable, you know, whether
it's supports through yourbenefit plan or the public
(21:12):
system, that's the time, to toask for help because those are
some signs that it may be movingbeyond, just managing anxiety
to, moving towards mentalillness.
I I think it's important as wellthat people take care of those
things like, you know, diet,exercise, sleep, like trying to
(21:36):
to stay within routine, and andand follow through with those
activities are things that weknow that promote mental
wellness Mhmm. And I think areessential, as we, face
struggles, whether, again, costof living or other factors that
are impacting on our mentalhealth and wellness.
Jessica Samuels (21:56):
Right. And I I I love what you said there that
this is out of the norm for whatis normal for us. So how I sleep
or how I eat might be differentfrom yourself or maybe somebody
else in our family. And so whatis what is normal for me and
recognizing and having that selfawareness? Just before we wrap
up, what can we, where can wedirect folks to?
(22:18):
So we talked about the cost ofliving resources and the rent
bank, but let's just reallyfocus on those mental health
resources. Obviously, CMHAKelowna is a resource in our
community. CMHA Kelowna is theoperator of Foundry Kelowna.
There's foundries all across theprovince. And in episode 1, we
talked about youth mental healthas well.
(22:38):
What are some good mental healthresources that people can
access?
Mike Gawliuk (22:42):
I think one of the things that we operate, is
virtual counseling and that'sfor a population of adults,
couples, caregivers, and again,easily accessible virtual based
and so I would encourage accessto that.
Jessica Samuels (22:59):
Is that little or no fee?
Mike Gawliuk (23:01):
It's no fee.
Jessica Samuels (23:01):
No fee.
Mike Gawliuk (23:02):
So that's a free service. In terms of the public
system, certainly mental healthand substitute services are
located down on Doyle Avenuethrough Interior Health. We'll
provide information in terms ofhow to access that.
Jessica Samuels (23:18):
Yeah.
Mike Gawliuk (23:19):
But certainly that would be a place to turn as well
if you're feeling it sort of gothat way. If, and I say if,
because not everybody does, ifyou have a family doctor, talk
to your physician, and they cansort of work with you from
there, to to move thingsforward. So those are just some
(23:39):
resources that exist. There's aload of private counseling that
exists across this community.Again, a number of different
places to turn, if you have, themeans to do so.
And, we'll we'll point out a fewof those as well.
Jessica Samuels (23:54):
Yes, exactly. So we may not be able to
actively impact the cost ofliving in our life, but we can
impact as individuals how wemanage the stress that we're
experiencing through cost ofliving.
Mike Gawliuk (24:08):
Absolutely. And I think, I think one thing is,
hopefully some perspective isthat we are seeing slight
changes, right? Yeah. Interestrates are starting to come down
and it's predicted they'llcontinue to come down more.
Again, from from a housingperspective, we're seeing more
(24:28):
rental housing coming onlinewithin Kelowna, which means that
the vacancy rate is gonna gofrom what has been unprecedented
lows to a little bit morebalanced, which will have an
impact.
It's not certainly gonna be thesolution for everything, but it
does mean that rents are goingto come down a little bit. So,
there is some light at the endof the tunnel. I know that can
(24:51):
feel challenging when you'reyou're in the moment. And again,
when you're in the moment, youknow, take us up on some of
those resources and some ofthose things that we've
encouraged to maintain positivemental health.
Jessica Samuels (25:05):
Mike, thank you once again for sharing these
resources. And of course, athank you to our podcast
sponsor, Beam Credit Union. Bothyourself and Beam Credit Union
are making these discussionspossible. And in instances like
this, when when we havesomething that is impacting
every one of us, this is where Ireally feel that these come into
play and it's important to spenda bit of time.
Mike Gawliuk (25:27):
Yeah. I think these are essential
conversations. And I think, theopportunity for people to to
talk to one another, again, touse this information to help
support themselves or someonethat they work with or they they
they care about. These these arewhy we have these conversations
is to help to increase thatlevel of awareness, provide some
(25:48):
tools and access to resources sothat people can have, positive
mental health.
Jessica Samuels (25:55):
Beam Credit Union is proud to be a part of
communities all across BC, withover 50 branches and insurance
offices dedicated to supportingyour financial journey. Beam
understands financial wellnessmeans something different to
everyone, and they're here tohelp you achieve your unique
goals. Whether you're saving forthe future, planning your next
big step or just looking forpeace of mind, Beam Credit Union
(26:18):
is by your side. GFCU Savings,Gulf and Fraser, Interior
Savings and North Peace Savingsare trade names of Beam Credit
Union.
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