While there are many local programs available for people dealing with mental illness, the demand is far greater than the supply, and accessing long-term care is still a big challenge.

However, there are positive changes being made in Waterloo Region, and plans for a ten year provincial strategy to address mental health that will be launched in a few months.

In November, a new mental health long-term care unit opened at Grand River Hospital's Freeport Site in Kitchener, and a day hospital program is coming soon.

With 50 beds, it is designed to provide specialized services, allowing those who have had to travel to London for treatment in the past to stay closer to family.

Stephen MacInnis is a patient at the Freeport site. He feels he's finally on the right track after a nine year struggle with depression and bipolar disorder.

"I can get in some pretty deep lows where I get thoughts in my head of harming myself, so I have to keep it under control," he says. "I learned a lot of strategies in here to deal with it and the medication's helping."

Dr. Sujay Patel is the medical director for the Regional Specialized Mental Health Program. He says the model of care involves the patient and focuses on recovery, which is new for the mental health field.

"Our role is to instill hope to support the individual on their journey to recovery and to empower them and that's something we take great pride in here," Patel says.

Big renovations are also happening at Grand River Hospital's Acute Mental Health Unit on King Street, where people go if they're in need of immediate help.

Clinical manager Christine McLellan says "We are over capacity on a daily basis so the day hospital opening up is going to give us another option to support patients and we're really excited about that."

At the worst times, hospital staff says patients sit in the emergency room for three days before getting access to one of the 48 beds.

And hospital care is usually just the beginning, with community support ranging from outreach programs to walk-in centers available. While some are free, many aren't, and long-term solutions like working with a psychiatrist and assisted living have waiting lists.

Eric Brown suffers from schizophrenia, and for 15 years he has lived at the Kaljas Homes. He says they're the perfect place to help with his schizophrenia, and both he and his family consider themselves lucky.

Named for the late Anna Kaljas, her daughter-in-law Maggie Kaljas is now the owner-operator of the Kaljas Homes.

She says she knows how to help Brown and the other 16 clients, no matter how bad a day they're having, "Just giving them a room doesn't help, but giving them support, making sure they get medication, making sure they get psychiatric care [helps]."

Mental health experts say if the system wasn't as stretched for resources, many more mental health patients could be helped.

Some help may be coming. Cambridge Memorial Hospital is over capacity, but is opening a new unit with double the number of existing beds this fall.

Meanwhile St. Joseph's Health Care, a longer term mental health facility with locations in London and St. Thomas are generally at 90 per cent capacity, and the situation at the London Health Sciences Centre Mental Health Program is similar.

Coming up in part three: What is the impact of mental health issues on the families of those affect and what resources are available to them.