Many people who have suffered from severe and enduring mental health challenges and other disabilities want to work but the gap between illness and employment is too hard to overcome. If they disclose their illness at the job interview, they may not get the job and if they hide their challenge and are successful in gaining employment, they don’t last long due to their debilitating challenges.
Many people just need an opportunity. They have ‘missing years’ in their resumes and anxiety is holding them back. They need support, training, and a whole lot of patience. L’Arte Central exists to give them an opportunity to build new skills and work history, that will often be the spark they need.
These are people we see every day in our community, and they could be our parents, our brother, our sister, or our friends. Mental health challenges are generally unseen but cost governments and communities billions of dollars a year in welfare as well as the personal costs to family through suicides, attempted suicides and other addictions.
Employment and social participation can change an individual’s life as well as impact the lives of their families and friends.
This is why L’Arte Central Cafes are so desperately needed.