Community Outreach – Whitney B

Saving Our Streets: Part 3- Treating Mental Illness at a Young Age

Posted on June 19, 2017June 19, 2017 by mywhitneyb

Mental Illness and developmental disabilities are starting to be detected in children as early as two years old. The most common childhood mental disorders are anxiety disorders, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There are many treatment options available for children that are affected but extensive assessments have to be done to see what is most effective for the child, such as medications, educational interventions, and psychotherapy. Children with mental-health problems can have lower educational achievement, greater involvement with the criminal justice system, and fewer stable placements in the child welfare system. Due to mental illness being frowned upon in black communities, many parents do not take them to get tested, so either most people are checked by a school doctor, or there’s a major issue when the child gets older.

Many colleges are becoming proactive with addressing and treating mental illness. Depression and anxiety is on the rise in many college campuses around the world. According to the U.C.L.A Higher Education Research Institute Annual Freshman Survery, a record high of 11.9 percent of the students in the 2016 incoming class reported “frequently” feeling depressed in the past year, and 13.9 percent said “there was a very good chance they would seek personal counseling in college.” And for the first time in the survey’s history, less than half (47 percent) consider their mental health to be above average relative to their peers. “I was first tested in college, I had been feeling funny and needing to know why and what was going on with me, especially because it was causing me to start sleeping a lot,” said Bruce Garcia.

Bruce was tested in college but did not follow through with his medications. After his third year he dropped out and turned to a life of drugs. “I am in treatment now, and I go to my group meetings. I have been trying to stay focused but what I do realize is I am a lot better around people that I feel are more like myself. It’s not easy being a recovering drug addict and I feel that I should probably be dead, but group has really been helping me,” said Garcia.

Community outreach programs in Detroit have been working hard and working together to keep mental illness and drug abuse down in the city. Detroit Recovery Project and The Detroit Rescue Mission are two leading community programs for assistance in the city of Detroit and the metro area. Support is community based, and a lot of these non-profit programs need help from community volunteers. Mental illness can be controlled with the proper treatment and the proper support.

Detroit Community Outreach Programs Help Struggling Residents Back on Their Feet

Posted on May 21, 2017May 31, 2017 by mywhitneyb

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries: One of many buildings located throughout the city of Detroit, location 138 Stimpson St. Photo: Whitney Bryan

Detroit, MI. May 22, 2017- Detroit community outreach programs work to keep mental illness and drug abuse from affecting more lives of residents. Mental illness and drug abuse have become a major cause of homelessness. With the help of community outreach programs, the number of people needing assistance decreases each year.

Mental illness is often overlooked, because of that it’s not properly treated, causing other issues in a person’s life. Most people aren’t diagnosed with a mental illness until something unfortunate happens, or there’s a major change in a person’s life, like jail or homelessness. The American Psychological Association (APA) reports that rates of mental illness among people who are homeless in the United States are twice the rate of the general population.

“I never wanted to admit that mental illness was the underlying cause of what was going on with me. Sometimes, I am still not comfortable talking about it,” Carolyn Suttles said. Carolyn spent a lot of her past in the streets. She was addicted to drugs and spent time in jail. “Being out there, you don’t really think of the consequences or repercussions. It was just about being a part of the fast life, and doing it around people like me,” Suttles said.

Carolyn Suttles outside of the Heartland Rehab Facility. Photo: Whitney Bryan

Mental illness makes people feel crazy. Many people never talk about how or why they feel different. Instead, drugs and alcohol become treatment instead of the person receiving proper care. Victoria Adewale, Dianne Ritchie, and Sarah Everhart Skeels wrote a great article called African-American and African perspectives on mental health: A pilot study of the pre and post- colonial and slavery influences and their implications on mental health. In this article they mentioned that substance abuse in the community has been linked to increased mental health disorders; however, most do not receive the appropriate services that they need. Sometimes, people aren’t able to be assisted because services aren’t in reach, affordable, or they’re full. “I spent a lot of my younger years on the streets. I was homeless, and in and out of jail. I knew I had to get myself together for my kids because they deserved a better mother. I was clean for over a decade, but once issues started coming up, memories and feelings of the past came back. Today, I realize that was my mental illness.”

In an article by Henry J. Steadman, Suzanne M. Morris, and Deborah L. Dennis called The Diversion of mentally Ill Persons from Jails to Community-Based Services: A profile of Programs. They mention that a major proposal for appropriately treating people with illness who have been arrested is to divert them from jail to community-based mental health programs. Detroit Recovery Project (DRP) was founded in July 2005. DRP is a private non-profit corporation dedicated to supporting recovery, which strengthens, rebuilds and empowers individuals, families, and communities who are experiencing co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders.

“The program is effective, in my opinion, because I’ve seen so many people benefit from it,” Rickey Kelley, a Peer Support Recovery Specialist for DRP, said. Detroit Recovery Project offers cognitive behavior therapy, 12-step programs for drugs and alcohol, family re-integration, employment training, AIDS and HEP testing, and much more. “DRP is located in a community known for a lot of issues, but the organization is consistently evolving and creating new agendas to aid their cause to combat the issues, focusing on meeting everyone’s needs,” Kelley said.

Detroit Recovery Project Inc: One of the many locations located in the city of Detroit, location 1121 Mc.Nichols Ave. Photo: Whitney Bryan

Not all programs are effective or work for everybody. Everyone’s need for assistance is different. Sometimes programs aren’t able to help. K. Bost grew up with a mother addicted to drugs, in and out of different programs, hoping that one day her mother would be free from addiction.

“I remember when I was younger and my mother stayed at Harbor House for a six-month program. I was young when we went to the meeting as a family and it was nice. My mother stayed clean for a few months but was right back on drugs. I credit that to her program just ending with no out-patient support,” Bost said.

Phillip Simmons founder of Pure Recovery started this program to help men transition into life after going through treatment. Pure Recovery has been very effective in helping many men, and even assisting some with long-term employment.

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“I spent a lot of time in and out of jail, and on drugs. I never really thought about my family, just about how I was going to survive and get to my next high. It wasn’t until I got older and became a part of Project Recovery, that really helped me out greatly,” Vernon Bryan said. Vernon is no stranger to the system and how it works. However, instead of continuing down the same road, he is now using this knowledge to help other men like him.

Vernon Bryan posing in his office with certificates, making him qualified for his work. Photo: Whitney Bryan

In 2014, more than one-fifth of the homeless population suffered from a severe mental illness. The most common three are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression, which are all manageable with proper medication. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, mentally ill homeless people are the hardest to reach and the toughest to treat. They often self-medicate with drugs or alcohol, which causes them to fall more into the illness instead of getting the proper treatment that will help with change. This has been an increasing issue since the 1970s in all major cities around the USA.

Information is drawn from 2014, 2015, and 2016 AHAR Report for Michigan. Infographic by: Whitney Bryan

Although it seems that the number of homeless people in Detroit seems to be out of control, Michigan is on the list of states reporting the largest decrease in homelessness since 2015. This is strongly credited to community outreach programs and the help of many volunteers. Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries is amongst the others mentioned that lead the city in community outreach, as well. With many different programs, and partnering with several different churches in the city of Detroit, DRMM’s plan is to service more people in 2017 than the following years. “Detroit Rescue Mission is a dynamic organization that responds to the pressing needs of men, women, and children. We are embarking on relevant and viable projects aimed at helping them gain the stability, sobriety, and self-reliance they need,” C. Paschal Eze, Director of Spiritual Life and Public Relations, said.

Photo of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Headquarters. Photo: Whitney Bryan

It is time to make a difference in your area so that Michigan can continue to be on the list of states with decreasing numbers. Join organizations like Detroit Recovery Project, Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, and many others to save our streets.

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Community Outreach

PSA: Faith In Action

Posted on April 24, 2017 by mywhitneyb

For more information on the Faith in Action campaign and on how to volunteer with DRMM, visit drmm.org.

Community Outreach, Family Stories

Help Detroit and put your Faith in Action

Posted on April 2, 2017April 2, 2017 by mywhitneyb

Picture of the sign outside of the main building for DRMM. Photo taken by: Whitney Bryan

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries is planning on feeding 2000 plus people this Easter holiday, but is asking for help from the community to make this all possible with the Faith in Action campaign. DRMM is challenging the community to put their faith in action by downloading a free kit and donating as little as $1.95 or more to help a person that is lost or broken to rebuild their lives. The Faith in Action kit will include social media post that will help spread the word, a cover photo for Facebook and Twitter, a church flyer, and email messages for family and friends.

“We get volunteers through our user-friendly website, drmm.org/volunteer. There they can learn about our volunteer projects and complete the volunteer registration form. The more individuals and groups that understand and appreciate the difference we make in the community, the more volunteers and donors we get,” says C. Paschal Eze director of spiritual life and public relations for DRMM.

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministry is one of the biggest non-profits in the city of Detroit, founded in 1909 the mission began as a soup kitchen that provided church services, shelter, food and clothing for the homeless and downtrodden. With over a hundred years of service to the city of Detroit, DRMM has been able to expand and continues to help more and more people each year. The Faith in Action campaign was started as something to get the community more involved with helping one another. Join the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries and put your faith into action by donating and download your free kit today.

Community Outreach, Family Stories

Saving our Streets Part 2

Posted on March 26, 2017 by mywhitneyb

Drug Abuse is an issue that have been taking over many urban cities in the United States of America since the early 70s and have been an issue since. Mental Illness have been named as one of the major causes of drug abuse. In the past people were just being treated for drugs and not for the underlying problem that caused the abuse. Now and days there are many programs that work with individuals to treat both the mental illness and the drug abuse such at the Behavioral Center of Michigan located in Warren, MI, where the treatment works hand-in-hand.

Photo of the main office for Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries

The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries along with many other organizations in the city of Detroit work together to keep people safe and off drugs. There are many different programs offered and half-way houses that are setup so that people can be successful before, during, and after their program. Many of these non-profit organizations cater to the person’s individual needs, understanding that everyone is different, treatment is catered to the individual person’s needs. DRMM has several locations across the city of Detroit that are set up to assist people and their needs. They have Genius House 1-3 and the Christian Guidance Center for men and women, these are places where they can go for treatment, have meetings and also have a safe place to sleep. According to the Facebook page for DRMM, in 2016 963 men and women received mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Photo of Vernon Bryan Standing outside DRMM Christian Guidance Center

Vernon Bryan is a resident of Detroit that has been in the treatment program and is a witness that it works. “It used to be hard for me to talk about my life but now it is something that helps the lives of other young men. When I was on the street, I never thought that programs like this worked because so many people that I ran with tried before. One day I knew that I could not live like that anymore, that I had a family and needed to be a better man for them. I called the number, they sent me to CDC (Christian Guidance Center) and I went through the program. From there I stayed in another home that I am now employed through an able to help other people like me. It’s like a second chance at life,” says Bryan.

Photo of Vernon Bryan standing outside the residential facility for men where he works

Drug and alcohol abuse have been on the rise in Michigan and about the national average, since 2003. With many efforts in many different cities to keep the streets clean, it seems that each year it there are new drugs being introduced, or something easier to access. It’s not just up to law enforcement, but also the community. Community outreach programs are designed to help, but they are non-profit and many of them depend on donations or partnerships. “We partner with hundreds of churches, para-churches and for-profit corporations who send us volunteer groups. Because of that we have over 300 men and women graduating from various life-changing programs next month, this is what we are here for,” says Rev. C. Paschal, director of Spiritual Life and Public Relations for DRMM.