Help Youth Access Quality Mental Health Services
The vision of a thriving community guides Heart of West Michigan United Way. We’re dedicated to tearing down barriers for those who struggle to get by. We do this by lending a hand in times of crisis and investing in long-term solutions to help individuals and communities realize their potential.
Through our Community Grant Fund, we provide grant funding in six critical issue areas of housing, food security, family crisis, mental health, financial security, and youth education. We also administer three internal programs: The Volunteer Center, 2–1–1, and the Kent County Tax Credit Coalition.
Heart of West Michigan United Way (Grand Rapids, MI) is launching a campaign in honor of Child and Youth Mental Health Awareness Day on Friday, May 7.
Start a fundraiser for Heart of West Michigan United Way today!
The Need
Millions of young adults live with a mental or substance use disorder and many don’t know it or seek help. In 2018, 2 in 5 of 8.9 million who reported having a mental illness and 9 in 10 of 5.1 million with a substance use disorder didn’t get treatment (SAMHSA.gov).
In Michigan, the ratio of child and adolescent psychiatrists to children and adolescents in need of psychiatric help is 1,800:1. In addition, LGBTQ+ youth are three times as likely to attempt suicide as non-LGBTQ+ youth.
Our Goal
Kent County, Michigan residents will have increased access to quality mental health services.
Our Approach
Mental illness and substance abuse can break families apart and derail children’s lives. They are major causes of homelessness for both children and adults. Many in our community don’t get the interventions they need because they can’t afford them. We fund comprehensive, trauma-informed health interventions for children and youth experiencing homelessness. We also expand the capacity of clinics to find and treat patients’ undiagnosed mental health problems and substance abuse issues.
Funded Partners
Cherry Health: Family Stability Through Integrated Behavioral Health
Uninsured people with mental health disorders and substance use may be the most vulnerable population in our society. United Way funding allows Cherry Health to expand immediate, on-site mental health service delivery to uninsured, non-Medicaid individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders. Cherry Health also provides immediate, solution-focused counseling that can reduce the risk of death and provide a starting point for lifelong change.
D.A. Blodgett — St. John’s: Adoptive Family Support Network
D.A. Blodgett — St. John’s mission is to help children and empower families by providing safety, advocacy, and support. Through their Adoptive Family Support Network (AFSN), they seek to strengthen adoptive families by giving parents access to a community of adoptive parents just like them. In addition, AFSN refers families to the resources that best fit their needs through adoptive parent support services and professional service providers throughout Michigan.
A.Y.A. Youth Collective: Comprehensive Health Initiative for Homeless Youth
This agency provides comprehensive services to youth experiencing homelessness. Their program offers comprehensive health system navigation, substance-use intervention, trauma-informed and healing-centered therapy alongside holistic, mindfulness-based activities — recognizing that for young people, homelessness is often a symptom of underlying traumas. With youth-specific and relational prevention and early intervention strategies, A.Y.A. mitigates long-term impacts, improves overall behavioral health outcomes, and promotes long-term, stable housing.
2019–20 Outcomes
9,916 individuals served
78% of youth showed an improvement in well-being
9,785 patients screened for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders
How You Can Help
Your donation during our campaign will help provide funding for our partner agencies who work to provide mental health services to youth in our community.
Start a fundraiser today for Heart of West Michigan United Way!
