The Crisis Grant is intended to assist mental health and substance use consumers who are experiencing significant financial strain due to unexpected circumstances.

Quick Links:

• Crisis Grant Application – version 29
• Eligibility Criteria
• Definition of “Unexpected Circumstance”
• Referral Process
• Grant Deadlines
• Selection Process
• Notification
• Grant Pickup
• For More Information

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for an Crisis Grant, an individual must be:

• referred by a current health care worker who knows them well (‘health care worker’ is anyone who provides mental health-related services in a professional capacity.)
• a mental health consumer
• 19 years or older
• a City of Vancouver resident
• unable to cover essential costs due to an unexpected circumstance (i.e., a situation that is unforeseen and/or out of the ordinary)

There are a total of 12 grants available per month.

Individuals are only eligible to receive a Crisis Grant of $85 once every 2 years.

The Crisis Grant is reserved to provide financial assistance when no other funding sources are available.

CIF Definition of “Unexpected Circumstance”

 What is an “Unexpected Circumstance”?

AN UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCE refers to a situation that is unforeseen and/or out of the ordinary for an individual and results in:

1. an unexpected loss (e.g., loss of ongoing job or volunteer honorarium; temporary loss of ability to work due to medical reasons; etc.)

and/or

2. a necessary but unexpected expense  (e.g., costs related to a death in the family; bed bug eradication; etc.)

An unexpected circumstance does not include:

• chronic mismanagement of funds and/or lack of financial planning (e.g., 5 weeks between PWD cheque issue dates)
• situations of overspending on nonessential items/activities

Referral Process

To refer a client, health care workers must complete the application form and fax to:  604-874-7661.

The form may either be:

1) completed electronically, printed out, and then faxed or

2) printed out, completed by hand, and then faxed

Forms completed electronically cannot be sent via email. They must be printed then faxed due to privacy and security reasons.

There are two grant deadlines each month.

Grant Deadlines

The application deadlines are 1 pm the First and Third Tuesday of the month.

Six grants will be issued by 1 pm on the Tuesday following each deadline (the Second and Fourth Tuesday).

Selection Process

There are two random draws for each deadline:

1. Main draw – five recipients will be randomly selected from the total pool of eligible applicants.
2. Second draw – one recipient will be randomly selected from all applicants who have been referred three or more times and were not chosen in the main draw.

If no applicants have been referred three or more times, we will revert to a single draw, randomly selecting six recipients from the total pool of eligible referrals.

Notification

Referring health care workers will be notified of the outcome by 1 pm the Tuesday following each grant deadline.

If a grant is awarded, referrers will be notified by email and phone. The health care worker is then responsible for picking up the funds.

If a grant is not awarded, referrers will be notified by email.

Grant Pickup

Grants can be picked up 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm on grant draw days on the 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the month.  Then 8:30 am to 4:30 pm​ after the draw days from Monday to Friday 

Grants must be picked up between 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday (except statutory holidays) at:

Vancouver Coastal Health
520 West 6th Avenue (just west of Cambie)
Suite 200 (2nd floor front desk)

The person specified to pick up the grant should give reception staff their name and tell them they are picking up an Crisis Grant. Staff will ask to see ID.

For applications that are not approved, referrers will be notified by email of the outcome. If the CIF criteria were met and referrers would like to reapply, a new application form must be completed and submitted for a future grant deadline.

For More Information

Questions?  Please contact Megan Thomas (Project Manager) by email:  megan.thomas@vch.ca or by phone: 604-714-3771, ext 2239.

Megan works Tuesday to Thursday and will return calls and emails during this time.