Community Savings Announces Partnership with Construction Industry Rehab Program
September 4, 2024 Vancouver / Unceded Territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations - Community Savings, a BC-based credit union and the Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan (CIRP) are proud to announce their partnership to support individuals receiving mental health and substance use treatment. Together, the organizations are implementing a mental-health-first approach to finances that will improve treatment continuity rates.
This partnership is aimed at alleviating financial stress among BC construction workers seeking treatment, a major barrier to treatment follow-through and adherence. Community Savings Credit Union alongside CIRP has designed the Recovery Protection program, a program that specifically addresses the financial needs of credit union members in the rehabilitation plan.
Members undergoing treatment will have access to three months of relief on loan and mortgage payments and a suspension of all service fees during this period. This furthers Community Savings’ first-of-its-kind commitment to supporting union workers with three months of relief during lockout or strike action in BC.
Identifying mental health challenges can be difficult, often hindered by societal shame and fear of ostracism. To address this, CIRP will train Community Savings staff on how to assist members who are experiencing distress. This is in addition to the mental health first aid training run for all managers at Community Savings.
Vicky Waldron, Executive Director of CIRP, states, "Financial stress is one of the leading reasons workers drop out of treatment. This partnership exemplifies how we can proactively support the mental health of workers in BC. Substance use and related mental health challenges are not only devastating to workers and their families but also inflict significant financial harm on these BC families, the building trades industry, and the provincial economy."
Raj Khunkhun, VP Strategic Partnerships at Community Savings Credit Union, adds, "This partnership with CIRP underscores our commitment to working people in BC and actively supporting the mental health of workers. As a credit union, we regularly work towards improving the financial wellbeing of our members and creating a fair economy where everyone can thrive."
The CIRP is a non-profit, joint union and management-sponsored substance use and related mental health treatment program that provides mental health and addiction services to members of the BC Building Trades.
Brynn Bourke, Executive Director of the BC Building Trades, says, "This is a truly exceptional collaboration between CIRP and Community Savings. It will enhance the continuity of our treatment programs, provide greater access to resources, and create more opportunities to fully support the wellbeing of construction workers seeking assistance."
As a credit union that actively advocates for workers’ mental health, Community Savings encourages any members that are experiencing mental health challenges to reach out for banking support. Benefits of banking with Community Savings Credit Union include tailored financial services and advice, access to some of Canada’s lowest borrowing rates, values-driven banking and impact, and convenience of visiting any of its six branches across the Lower Mainland and Victoria. Union members and members of organizations that bank with Community Savings also have the opportunity to receive financial life skills training that covers the basics of finance to help plan for financial goals.
About Community Savings:
Community Savings Credit Union is driven by its purpose to unite working people to build a just world. As BC’s largest fully unionized credit union, Community Savings provides best-in-class personal and business banking.
Community Savings operates six branches across the Lower Mainland and Victoria. It lives by its values, from being the first financial institution to become a Living Wage employer in 2010 to winning the 2022 BCBusiness Business of Good Workplace Wellness Award for its innovative staff wellness programs. For more about Community Savings, visit www.comsavings.com.
About CIRP:
CIRP has been providing substance use and related mental health treatment to unionized construction workers for over 40 years, with its approach evolving as the field has changed, grown, and become more complex. Last year more than 500 intakes were conducted resulting in over 200 workers going on to receive CIRP services. Over 4,400 counseling sessions were delivered.
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