Labour backs the call from The Rainbow Support Collective members for mental health funding specifically earmarked for grassroots and peer led community organisations to be set up in a way that they are able to access.

“Specialised mental health and addiction help for rainbow people, including at risk youth, will be more difficult to access now that Matt Doocey has limited access to the Mental Health and Addiction Community Sector Innovation Fund,” Labour rainbow spokesperson Shanan Halbert said.

“The fund has the potential to sideline rainbow communities and overlooks the opportunity to turn around some of our most concerning mental health statistics.

“Aotearoa’s young rainbow people are some of our most vulnerable and should be a priority group for the Minister of Mental Health, but he is failing in his role – and he’s not the first. National ministers continue to kick the community in the guts by putting young rainbow people at risk

“Minister of Education Erica Stanford is removing sexuality guidelines in schools, Minister of Police Mark Mitchell has failed to respond to the safety concerns of the rainbow community, and now Matt Doocey has made it impossible for specialised mental health services to access funding,” Shanan Halbert said.

“The Mental Health and Innovation Fund is a debacle. It was touted by the Minister as being the Budget initiative that would get much-needed funding out the door to community groups. Instead, it has a $250,000 minimum contribution which puts it out of reach of grass roots providers,” Labour mental health spokesperson Ingrid Leary said.

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