18 Apr Comprehensive Mental Health Services (CMHS) Receives $500 Grant from the Harley Davidson Foundation
Comprehensive Mental Health Services (CMHS) recently received a grant for $500 from the Harley Davidson Foundation to support the Welcome Home Program. This program assists adults with Severe Mental Illness in transitioning to safe and dignified housing by providing necessities such as sheets, towels, cookware, and other household items.
The Welcome Home program is part of CMHS’s Residential Services program, which receives a major portion of its funding from the Missouri Department of Mental Health. Currently, the Welcome Home program receives all its income from DMH funding. To maximize the amount of rental assistance the Residential Services program can provide, CMHS will raise as much of the Welcome Home program budget as possible from compassionate donors who are interested in helping these individuals establish their independence through basic implements of daily living. In the event that private funding falls short of the program budget’s goals, CMHS will be forced to use other Residential Program funds to provide basic necessities to individuals receiving support, thereby decreasing the number of individuals who can receive housing supports. Individuals receiving Welcome Home program support are establishing or reestablishing their independence in daily living. Items the program provides are of basic necessity, and will have a powerful impact in the daily lives of recipients. CMHS will show donors how their contributions to the Welcome Home program are making a difference, helping to ensure ongoing support for the program.
The goal of the Welcome Home program is to help individuals remain in stable permanent housing to support their management of and recovery from mental health conditions. In 2015, CMHS anticipates that 25 individuals will receive support through the Welcome Home program. The program will measure the number of unduplicated participants remaining in stable permanent housing each year after being assisted with items of daily living through the Welcome Home program. CMHS will consider the program to be successful for an individual if that individual remains in their permanent housing for a period of 12 months after receiving their Welcome Home support, and will consider the Welcome Home program itself successful if 80% of individuals receiving Welcome Home support successfully remain in their permanent housing for 12 months.
In partnership with individuals, families, and our community, Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Inc. (CMHS) provides the highest quality behavioral health services. Founded in 1969, CMHS provides mental health and substance abuse services to low-income individuals living in Eastern Jackson County (MO), including Kansas City, MO. What started out as a small outpatient clinic has grown to serve approximately 6,000 individuals annually. CMHS offers psychiatric and substance abuse treatment in Independence, surrounding communities, and Kansas City, Missouri. CMHS is certified as a community mental health center and a substance abuse treatment and prevention agency by the state of Missouri Department of Mental Health. In addition, CMHS is certified by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). CMHS’s primary goal is for individuals to enjoy a higher quality of life through improved mental health, emotional stability, and freedom from dependence on drugs and alcohol. In order to facilitate this, the agency offers a wide range of mental health services, including individual and group therapy, consumer-driven psychosocial rehabilitation, and supported employment. Major service components include Assessment/Evaluation, Community Support Services for adults with serious mental illness, Addiction Recovery services for adults with chemical dependence issues,