P26-M mental wellness center for homeless opens in Davao

The Mental Wellness Center for Homeless Building, which is situated at SPMC-IPBM Compound, C.M Recto St. in this city, costs about P26 Million.

Mayor Sara Duterte who led the virtual program for the blessing and inauguration of the center last Friday (Jan. 21), said the facility helps safeguard the emotional and psychological well-being of the homeless people, who are at higher risk of getting mental illness as they struggle to get through the day in the streets.

She said the establishment of the city’s Mental Health Center for the homeless is a welcome initiative of the local government not only to provide a comfortable refuge for our homeless and mentally ill residents but also to address the stigma surrounding mental health and raise awareness in the community.

Sara said she hopes the initiative will inspire everyone to support each other to find ways to overcome difficulties, maintain healthy well-being, and promote the importance of mental health.

The mayor thanked Dumper Partylist Representative Claudine Bautista for helping the city government fund the construction.

According to Duterte, the center which started construction in February 2021, not only serves as a facility for mentally challenged homeless individuals but also as an outpatient counseling service center.  

Mental Wellness Center for Homeless head, Dr. Annaliza Malubay, meanwhile,  also said that the establishment of the center is an achievement for the city because this is the first of its kind in the country. 

The facility was created because the local government saw the need for a shelter that caters to those psychotic vagrants or the mentally challenged in the streets, especially during the pandemic, Malubay said.

“Although our city has existing shelters for the homeless, we cannot just integrate our clients with them because of their special needs and these special needs are what the local government is giving focus on,” she said.

She added that being assigned to the facility is an eye-opener for mental illness as the most neglected health problem.

Malubay also hopes that the city will also be able to establish livelihood programs and other services both medical and non-medical that can benefit not only admitted clients but also outpatients.