About OBMHC

If you would like to know more about the Coalition and our work in the community, please contact us.

Our Story

The Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition (OBMHC) works collaboratively and collectively to improve mental health outcomes for Black communities in Ottawa. The Coalition is hosted by Somerset West Community Health Centre (SWCHC), which provides the Coalition with administrative and supervisory support. This document outlines existing Coalition processes and will facilitate continuity.

The Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition was first established in fall 2018 following numerous conversations and forums with community leaders and organizations, all of whom shared the need for culturally targeted mental health supports for Black individuals and communities.

Our Purpose

This Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition has come together to identify ways to work collectively to amplify our individual impact and ensure a strong, united and coordinated mental health response in Black communities. Members collaborate to create more integrated services to support those with lived experience of mental health challenges, those in crisis, family members supporting youth and seniors, and those Black clinicians and mental health workers who provide direct services in the community.

Our current mental health system provides varying levels of clinical care and emergency services to support individuals in times of crisis. However, culturally appropriate supports that address local community needs, minimize mental distress, foster hope, support recovery and build resilience are insufficient to meet demands.

The Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition seeks to achieve a more equitable mental health system by improving access to culturally appropriate mental health supports and resources offering healthier outcomes for Black residents in Ottawa. To achieve these outcomes, our strategies need to be grounded within Black communities and centered around the Black voices.

Our Activities

The activities of the Coalition are informed by the community and developed by member organizations based on priority areas of focus identified during strategic planning in 2020, 2021 and 2024. Priorities were identified around three areas of focus:

  1. Advocacy and Systems Change (ASC)
  2. Mental Health Awareness (MHA)
  3. Mental Health Supports (MHS)

Members of the Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition are community associations, health sector leaders, grassroots and community leaders, and experts concerned with the mental health and wellbeing of Black communities. With the guidance of our three working groups, the Coalition strives to promote and amplify the work of the member organizations through advocacy and collaboration. Some of OBMHC’s initiatives include:

  • Black Mental Health Week Annually held in March, this week highlights programs, issues and accomplishments in Black mental health.
  • OBMHC Intersections is a webinar series exploring programs, issues and information that impact Black mental health. Watch online via Facebook at:https://www.facebook.com/OBMHC/videos
  • Counselling Connect is a FREE and anonymous service that connects you to professional counsellors – no waiting list. Visit www.counselling connect.org
  • Mental Health Peer Support Groups are facilitated by trained peer support specialists that meet regularly to provide support to each other. A variety of peer support is available in person and online through OBMHC partners across the city. 
  • Community of Practice provides facilitated group sessions for clinicians. Developed in collaboration with our experts, these sessions introduce culturally adapted tools and resources to mental health professionals working with Black communities. Using evidence-based practices, attendees address the unique challenges faced by both Black clinicians and Black clients in the community.

    To learn more about OBMHC working groups and ongoing initiatives, please contact OBMHC Coordination at ottawabmhcoalition@gmail.com.

    Our Members

    Members of the Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition are community associations, health sector leaders and experts concerned with the mental health and wellbeing of Black communities.  Individual members must be eligible for one of three membership categories: Participating Members, Voting Members, or Community of Practice Members.

    OBMHC’s membership include representatives from the following entities:

    1. ACB Wellness Resource Centre
    2. African Canadian Association of Ottawa
    3. Black Ottawa Business Network
    4. Britannia Woods Community House
    5. Canadian Women of Colour Leadership Network
    6. Canadians of African Descent Health Organization
    7. Centre Le Cap
    8. Community Development Framework
    9. Conseil Économique et Social d’Ottawa-Carleton (CESOC)
    10. Equity Liaison Officer with Councillor Rawlson King
    11. Jaku Konbit
    12. Muslim Family Services
    13. Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership
    14. Ottawa Public Health
    15. Parents for Diversity
    16. REPFO
    17. Social Planning Council of Ottawa
    18. Somali Centre for Family Services
    19. Somerset West Community Health Centre
    20. United for All Coalition
    21. University of Ottawa CO-CREATH Lab
    22. University of Ottawa Vulnerability, Trauma, Resilience and Culture Lab
    23. Upstream Ottawa-SAPACCY

    For more information about membership in the Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition, please contact OBMHC Coordination at: ottawabmhcoalition@gmail.com