Hancock County Receives Grant To Address Substance Abuse, Homelessness

(From (ADAMHS) the Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services)

Hancock County has received a $2.5 million federal grant over five years to provide support for individuals and families with youth who are facing substance use disorders while experiencing homelessness.

The grant was awarded recently by SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) to the Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services (ADAMHS), which will implement Project HOME (Housing, Outreach, and Meaningful Engagement) to provide various services in the community. Grant funds become available on September 30, 2024.

“The need for these services was identified through the local Unhoused Coalition. The ADAMHS Board is pleased to have secured resources for our community and looks forward to the project’s success,” said Precia Stuby, Executive Director. “We are thankful for all the hard work of the Unhoused Coalition to address the needs of some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Through increased collaboration and services between The City Mission and Family Resource Center, the grant will expand and enhance behavioral health treatment, peer support, recovery support services, and linkages to sustainable permanent housing for individuals experiencing homelessness.

The project will be operated through the City Mission for individuals experiencing homelessness with a special emphasis on helping young adults (18-24 years old), LGBTQ+, veterans and others in need in the community. The grant will assist with funding the establishment and ongoing operations of a 7-day-a-week low-barrier shelter to address the gap in much-needed services.

Low-barrier shelters provide services to individuals with minimal barriers to entrance.

“It is important that we have services available for every homeless person, regardless of where they are on their journey,” said City Mission Director Kathryn Bausman. “Building relationships and trust is often the first step to offering service. That is one of the things we hope to accomplish through a low-barrier shelter.”

Project HOME’s collaboration with the Family Resource Center will increase access to evidence-based practices such as medication for opioid use disorder, motivational interviewing, intensive

case management, community reinforcement approach, peer support, trauma-informed care, and harm reduction strategies.

“Our team of providers is eager to remove barriers to treatment and begin this collaboration with the City Mission,” said Ginny Williams, Chief Culture & Transformation Officer at the Family Resource Center.

Project HOME aims to serve 500 individuals through direct and indirect services over the 5-year project period.