TORONTO -- Health Minister George Smitherman says the province will spend $58.3 million this year to improve access to community-based mental health services.

He says he hopes more care in the community will ease the stigma around mental illness.

The money will provide agencies with resources to manage cases better, improve crisis response, and supportive housing.

It will also ensure youth get faster treatment and aid multidisciplinary clinical teams that provide intensive care.

About 34,000 people should benefit from the extra funding, previously announced in the budget.

Smitherman says one in five Canadians experience mental illness in their lifetime.

"By allowing more people to receive the care they need in their communities instead of in institutions, we are helping to lift the stigma that surrounds mental illness,'' Smitherman said at a news conference Thursday.

In the 12 years before the Liberal government came to office in October 2003, mental health issues were virtually ignored by the province, Smitherman said.

He said that was "unacceptable.''

An overarching theme of the expanded services is to keep those with mental health issues out of trouble with police, Smitherman said.

As many as 37 per cent of those incarcerated suffer from a mental illness and some are kept in custody solely because community supports aren't there to help them stay out of trouble with the law, Smitherman said.

The government, various mental health agencies and law enforcement officials are working together to prevent this problem, he said.

The funding announced Thursday is part of a four-year, $185-million plan to improve mental health services that began last year.