May 23, 2024
Funding boost crucial for Gumboot Friday counselling all rangatahi
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Youth mental health charity I Am Hope says the $24 million funding it is set to receive in next week’s Budget is a crucial lifeline for countless young people facing mental health challenges across the country.
The money over four years was written into the New Zealand First coalition agreement.
Trust founder Mike King says every dollar will go onto the free Gumboot Friday counselling service.
He says it will allow it to take on board more than 50 ethnically more diverse counsellors, including those from Indian, African, Latin American, North American, Asian, and Middle Eastern backgrounds, as well as a higher proportion of Māori and Pacifica counsellors.
In 2021, Gumboot Friday funded 550 sessions monthly at a cost of $78,000. Now, it finances over 3,400 free sessions each month at a cost of $510,000, with this number expected to grow as awareness of the service increases.