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Editor's Message
Visions In this journal, we hope to create a place where the many perspectives on mental health issues can be heard. The Canadian Mental Health Association is grateful to the Ministry of Health, who has assisted in underwriting the production of this journal. The Canadian Mental Health Association invites readers’ comments and concerns regarding the articles and opinions in this journal. Please send your letter, including your name, address and phone number to: The opinions expressed are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division or its Branch offices. Editorial Board 
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Access to mental health services compromised by language barriers and poverty Karen Rai says the number one barrier facing immigrants is their compromised ability to access services. For instance, services - even though their intention is to help - are offered in a language totally unfamiliar to newcomers. In order to receive services, newcomers face an unfamiliar and overwhelming bureaucratic process. In the case of some refugees who have fled intrusive governmental regimes, this may be too much to bear. And some services themselves may be potentially helpful, but may simply be too unknown or too new to newcomers to try. These excerpts from Working Group on Poverty's report, "Unfulfilled Expectation, Missed Opportunities: Poverty Among Immigrants and Refugees in British Columbia" repeat some of Karen Rai's observations: "Many low-income immigrants and refugees have no family, community or support in their new homes and are profoundly isolated an alone. Some cannot access those programs which are in place precisely to lessen the impact of poverty, because of agency rules and procedures, because of language and cultural barriers and because of the fear of government authorities . . . "In many ways poverty should not be a significant problem among recent immigrants and refugees, given their education, their ability in English, their family structure and their participation in the paid labour force. The reality, however, is dramatically different . . .Twenty-five percent of all immigrant and refugee families, and 51% of those who arrived between 1991 and 1996 are living poverty, compared to 11.2% of non-immigrant families." Karen Rai is a mental health worker with the Surrey-Delta Immigrant Services Society. Dena Ellery is editor of Visions.
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