A new street outreach program in Mecklenburg County is up and running with the goal of breaking barriers to mental health care.
The new street psychiatry program has been running for about a month with two psychiatrists and a nurse. The team currently goes out two days a week to places like uptown to support community members. Kate Rising is with Atrium Health and helps oversee the team that focuses on supporting unhoused adults.
“Our goal is to one provide more access to patients who can't get our traditional treatment in a brick and mortar and then also reduce the stigma of the community, so making it okay to receive behavioral health support,” Rising said.
The new outreach team has been in the works for over a year. The team is part of the 'Home for All' initiative, anchored by United Way of Greater Charlotte with the support of several local groups and nonprofits, to help address homelessness and provide stable, affordable housing for community members.
The street psychiatry team partners with Roof Above and Hearts for the Invisible, who help refer people. About 22 people have been connected, with 12 receiving treatment so far. Malia Suhren is the director of unsheltered housing navigation at Roof Above.
“They know it has worked for them in the past, or they know good care is available to them; they just need that bridge in order to get there,” Suhren said.
In Mecklenburg County, 444 people were found living outdoors in places such as bus stops and cars in the county’s most recent Point-In-Time Count that took place in January. Of those people, 41% reported having a serious mental illness.
