King's expands free counselling for vulnerable amid 'skyrocketing' demand

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Free counselling by King’s University College students of social work is expanding to help meet “skyrocketing” demand from London’s vulnerable.

The program, offered by King’s undergraduate and master’s students from the school of social work, prepares people seeking housing and people needing support to remain housed.

The expansion begins this month by increasing the number of students available to individuals who require immediate counselling services but are hit with long waiting lists.

“Every door you knock on, people are experiencing waitlists,” said Mary Kay Arundel, co-ordinator of field education for the school of social work at King’s. “Our intention with the program is to support the homelessness initiative.”

Established with the health and homelessness initiative, the King’s program was created mainly to meet the “significant demand” in the community for counselling, Arundel said.

The expansion bumped the number of students to 15 from eight. Students are chosen based on their experience prior to going into the King’s social work program.

“If we’re going to provide the services, then we’re going to commit to offering them,” Arundel said. “We need to have students capable of meeting the demand. It’s been a deliberate thought process in terms of how many students we need on deck as we look to expand our services.”

In January 2023, the King’s community support centre began delivering service in a clinic within the Salvation Army London Centre of Hope, where students provide counselling and support to clients. The program expanded in September to include Mission Services of London.

Besides offering support to the unhoused to rebuild their lives, the King’s community support centre also reaches out to the community support workforce, offering resources and sessions including sharing circles, training and professional development.

bbaleeiro@postmedia.com