Mental health advocacy group prepares to march in SF Chinese New Year Parade

SAN FRANCISCO - When Gregory Broyles walks through the streets of San Francisco, he sees a place of love and support.

It's a city that stood with him in his darkest moments. 

Broyles says there is "no shame in my game. I wouldn't be where I’m at today if I hadn't gone through the things I’ve gone through. So, I, gosh, I have a long history, a family history of both substances use and, mental health."

He says his alcohol use "turned into, you know, alcoholism and then, eventually, meth addiction. And it was, actually ripping and running, as they call it, for 18 years."

During that time, he said he suffered a deep depression and then got diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

"I lost everything," he says. 

And then he got into recovery,and realized that he didn't want his parents to have to deal with his issues in their older age. 

Today he is not only OK, but he is grateful and is giving back as a lead peer of the peer transition team at RAMS, the city's largest contracted mental health provider.

Founded 50 years ago in 1974, RAMS now has more than 30 clinical programs and has more than 130 site, It offers counseling outreach education and training and they do it all in over 30 languages, with the people like senior peer counselor Wing Shum.

Shum immigrated to California and then got divorced.

As a single mom, she struggled and she knows that language and cultural stigmas can be a barrier to getting the help that is available.

She said that being able to speak to people in their native language can be critical to providing the support people need.

"My first language is Chinese. I don't think my English is perfect enough, but it's really powerful to help the people have the language problem," Shum said. 

Still, she said, there are still stigmas in the Chinese community.

Peer counselors not only give support, but they receive it and people we talked to say through the years and say participating in the parade has always been a source of joy for this group.

She said that she was so excited to be part of the parade, when her son was just 1 year old.

This year an estimated 75 people are marching and carrying a dragon decorated with banners that showcase RAMS services,

Broyles says he wants the people watching "to know, we're here. So that’s our, our, our banner, which is, you know, about, mental health. It's also about the colors of the rainbow. And you know that everybody's welcome. "