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Social Businesses
WHAT IS THE
ASPIRING WORKFORCE?
Those people who have been unable to enter the workforce, have been in and out of the workforce, or are attempting to return to work after being away for a lengthy period of time due to a mental health problem or illness.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
To learn how policy makers and others can help improve disability policies, check out The Aspiring Workforce: Employment and Income for People with Serious Mental Illness at www.mentalhealthcommission.ca.
FACTS
• The aspiring workforce has skills and expertise the labour market requires.
• Many people with severe mental illnesses can work, and want to work.
There are approximately 100 social businesses operating across Canada, though most are concentrated in the larger cities of a few provinces.
CHALLENGES
• There is no common understanding of what a social business is, and its defi nition can diff er among stakeholders.
• More investment in evaluation and research is needed to better understand their impact and the opportunities they represent.
Social businesses could be developed even further to benefi t more Canadians, if there was a formal organizing structure to promote communication and
collaboration among them.
The development of such a network is just one way to advance their growth, but every solution will require an investment of funding and resources.
From catering companies to art studios, social businesses are an innovative approach to creating employment opportunities for people living with serious mental illnesses. While marketing goods and services to the Canadian public, these commercial ventures are also helping to increase the profi le of The Aspiring Workforce as meaningful contributors to our economy and to Canadian society.
The information in this hand out has been cited from The Aspiring Workforce: Employment and Income for People with Serious Mental Illness. The publication was produced by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, in collaboration with the Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, the University of Toronto and Queen’s University.
The views represented herein solely represent the views of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Production of this document is made possible through a fi nancial contribution from Health Canada.
