MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION RECEIVES $500K GRANT

A Montclair nonprofit organization has just received a new way to help homeless people who suffer from mental illnesses.

The Mental Health Association of Essex County, 33 South Fullerton Ave., has received a grant from the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services of approximately $500,000 to launch a program called Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH). The initiative will provide comprehensive outreach services for adults who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless who are also living with mental illnesses.

Mental Health Association of Essex County Executive Director Robert Davison told The Montclair Times that the grant will provide annual funding for the program.

PATH will launch in October and will operate throughout Essex County. The Mental Health Association of Essex County's first plans for PATH include finding an executive director, an office space in a central location, and hiring a staff that can address the needs of those with psychological illnesses.

According to Davison, PATH aims to reach 400 people annually, provide services to 200 people, and house approximately 40 people. The Mental Health Association of Essex County serves 5,000 people each year and does not turn away people based on their ability to pay.

"The funding will give us the ability to meet consumers where they are, in shelters, under bridges, in transit hubs, and engage them and build relationships with them."

According to Davison, the PATH program will assist people enroll in mental health services and get identification documents needed to find jobs and housing.

"PATH services facilitate the delivery of mental health and related supportive services through street outreach and case management service delivery to target homeless populations," New Jersey Department of Health Services Public Information Officer Ellen Lovejoy stated.

Davison noted that program is notable because it will enable his organization to better assist people with mental illnesses who cannot always help themselves.

"It's very significant," Davison said. "Any time someone is homeless that suffers from mental illness, it's an example of a failure of our mental health system. It's an example of a failure of society."

-- Lisa Marie Segarra