The Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Stark County (MHRSB) has received a $1.5 million grant from a federal agency that combats drug abuse and aids in the treatment of mental illness.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded its Cooperative Agreement to Benefit Homeless Individuals (CABHI) grant this year to fewer than 14 recipients nationwide. The MHRSB is one of those recipients.
Established in 1992, the SAMHSA has been providing financial assistance to state and local agencies to develop or expand permanent housing and support services for chronically homeless people, a top priority of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
According to the agency, the chronically homeless are often more susceptible to drug use and problems with mental and physical health, and the combination of permanent housing and recovery treatment is key to those individuals having “improved clinical outcomes.”
MHRSB, in conjunction with the Stark County Community Collaboration, will use the funds for Project REACH (Recovery and Empowerment Achieved with Community and Housing).
The project includes using local infrastructure to provide a series of evidence-based treatments and support services as well as housing for the chronically homeless. The board has set a number of goals for the project including housing stability, a reduction in drug and alcohol use, and an improvement in mental health for those in need.
Paula Mastroianni, director of marketing, communications and community relations at MHRSB, said a majority of the $1.5 million, spread across three years ($500,000 per year), will go to providing intensive recovery services and housing for 40 people on an annual basis, 120 throughout the three-year period. That group includes 20 transitional youth (18-24) and 20 adults each year.
Others with less need, Mastroianni said, will have access to other support programs.
An estimated 50 people will get support through outreach services, another 35 will have access to mainstream benefit programs and another 40 people will be placed in permanent supportive housing annually.
The Mental Health Board will kick in $140,000 each year for the additional housing. The City of Canton will also support the housing initiative with $100,000 annually, she said.
In total, Project REACH looks to get $2.25 million.
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