Northlands Rescue Mission received a $67,000 grant from the Otto Bremer Trust Community Responsive Fund to create a new substance abuse and behavioral health support program for the community. The trust awarded $1 million total to 20 organizations across the state, supporting literacy, adoption and foster care services, children’s health, children’s disability services, mental health, and capital projects for hospitals and clinics.
The program, which will begin November 1, aims to provide in-house services for Mission clients by having licensed addiction counselors available on-site. According to Murray Hennessy, community engagement director and grant writer for Northlands Rescue Mission, many clients suffer from mental illness, substance use disorder, or a combination of both. The organization was concerned about a “revolving door” effect, where clients who moved into permanent housing sometimes returned to the Mission after behavioral problems caused evictions or abandonment of housing. “What we were seeing was behavioral problems were causing these evictions, or in some cases these desertions of adequate apartments, and what was going on was people just had not had an adequate opportunity to deal and cope,” Hennessy said.
The program was inspired by cognitive behavioral therapy offered at Turning Point Behavioral Health in Madison, South Dakota, a facility offering both residential and outpatient treatment. Hennessy noted that many clients there have seen “great success,” with some remaining in South Dakota after treatment. Providing comprehensive in-house support aims to help the Mission’s clients find and keep housing while addressing mental and behavioral health needs contributing to homelessness. The funding will keep the program running for two years, after which Northlands Rescue Mission staff plan to continue fundraising to sustain it indefinitely.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/northlands-rescue-mission-awarded-67-000-for-substance-abuse-and-behavioral-health-support-programs