UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee awarded $600,000 in grants to two organizations (one from Nashville, one from Chattanooga) to increase housing options for Tennesseans who suffer from mental illness.
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee has awarded grants totaling $600,000 to two organizations to increase housing options for Tennesseans who suffer from mental illness. LifeCare Family Services Inc. of Nashville and the Helen Ross McNabb Center in Chattanooga will receive grants of $258,700 and $341,300, respectively.
The grants represent the last installments in a total $1 million commitment that UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee made in 2013 to support development of appropriate housing for people who need a place to live after having been discharged from a mental health facility. The first grant of $400,000 was made in April 2014 to Alliance Healthcare Services in Memphis.
The funding will support development of appropriate housing for people who need a place to live after having been discharged from a mental health facility. Specifically, the two organizations will apply the grants to their ongoing creation of 18 units of safe, affordable, quality housing in Nashville and Chattanooga.
“I appreciate and commend UnitedHealthcare for its recognition that people living with mental illness are not only deserving but also capable of thriving in our communities with balanced and productive lives,” said State Rep. Harold M. Love, Jr. – (D) District 58, Nashville. “With the support of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and these two partner agencies, these donations will make a true impact in the Tennessee communities we serve together.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, more than 245,000 adults and 65,000 children in Tennessee live with serious mental health conditions. Many of them are homeless and survive on low incomes. The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services estimates that nearly 190,000 Tennesseans with mental illness are in need of some sort of housing assistance.
“We recognize that without a place to call home, people who suffer from mental illness can get caught in a pattern of staying in hospitals, shelters and even the criminal justice system,” said Rita Johnson-Mills, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee. “People who are living with and managing their mental illness deserve the opportunity to live healthier and more independent lives, and the purpose of this support is to help make that a reality for more Tennesseans.”
“Adequate housing for individuals with mental illness is an important issue, so we are extremely grateful to UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee for supporting our efforts in such a significant and meaningful way,” said Mark Just, chief executive officer of LifeCare Family Services Inc.
“The Center’s housing services team creates safe, affordable, nurturing homes for individuals who have a behavioral health condition,” said Jerry Vagnier, president and chief executive officer of the Helen Ross McNabb Center. “We currently offer more than 140 units in Knox and Hamilton counties. We are grateful to UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee for its support, which will allow us to increase the capacity of housing options in the greater Chattanooga community.”
The state of Tennessee has been a leader in encouraging the creation of housing options for people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders. The Tennessee Creating Homes Initiative has leveraged public, private and non-traditional funding sources to create more than 4,600 housing options for Tennesseans diagnosed with mental illness and co-occurring disorders since 2001.
“There is a wealth of literature, both national and Tennessee-specific, to support the essential role of stable, safe, quality, and affordable permanent housing in the recovery process for persons with mental illness,” said E. Douglas Varney, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. “These partnerships between UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee, LifeCare Family Services and the Helen Ross McNabb Center will help put housing within reach for more Tennesseans.”
Helen Ross McNabb Center received $341,300 from UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee to increase housing options for Tennesseans who suffer from mental illness.