Canadian veterans can face a ‘recipe for disaster.’ A new police program aims to help
Global News
'No matter what struggle it is they’re struggling with, there is something available to help them,' said one of the creators of a new veterans wellness program.
A new program to help police officers safely assist military veterans in crisis is now available to police services across the country.
Launched in September by the Toronto Police Service, the Military Veterans Wellness Program is the product of years of work by two Canadian Forces soldiers turned police constables aiming to help veterans experiencing homelessness or a mental health crisis.
The program provides training to police officers so they can better respond to veterans they encounter in the course of their duties, mindful of both their military training and potential experience of severe trauma.
It also provides officers with a referral form to easily connect veterans with the host of supports they are entitled to receive, but that can otherwise be difficult to access.
“The social services that we’ve partnered with for this program have saved my life,” said Const. Jeremy Burns, one of the program’s co-founders, who knows all too well how the trauma of military service can linger long after veterans make it home.
“We lost 14 on our tour, but I lost several more when I came home,” Burns said. “I don’t know what’s more tragic.”
Burns served three and a half years with the Canadian Forces stationed in Edmonton with the First Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
After deploying to Afghanistan in 2009, Burns said he came home a different person, struggling to fit into the society he fought to defend.
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