Harrisonburg's permanent, low-barrier adult shelter has announced a new partnership to provide mental health services on-site. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
The Open Doors brick-and-mortar Navigation Center just celebrated its first anniversary in December. Executive Director Nate Riddle said plans to offer in-house mental health services were already in the works when they were still rotating locations.
NATE RIDDLE: This is … a reiteration, again, of our commitment not only to provide life-saving services through our shelter, but to really focus on the individual and the holistic needs to provide those compassionate resources and support so we can see long-term stability.
Two clinicians with the Community Counseling Center will be available to shelter guests two evenings a week, starting in March. The Suitcase Clinic is helping to fund the pilot phase, while continuing their work of treating physical health needs and prescribing medication for shelter guests.
RIDDLE: While there are other providers, we're under-resourced, not just as a community but as a commonwealth and as a country, for mental health.
Having the services on-site means fewer barriers to getting treatment. Research out of Harvard Medical School and other institutions has shown that the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences, or traumatic events that happen early in one's life, is significantly higher among adults experiencing homelessness than the general population.
RIDDLE: Certainly, people are bringing trauma with them, but we know that homelessness is a traumatic experience in itself, so in that way, all of our guests are experiencing trauma … and there are physiological effects to that.
The clinicians are prepared to offer crisis intervention, short-term services with referrals to other providers, and long-term counseling services.
