Newsletter – October 2017
October 2017
In This Issue
Events
Mental Health First Aid
Meet the Staff
Announcement
As you know, Integral Care was issued a fundraising challenge by local philanthropist and businessman, Mr. Dick Rathgeber. Once $2 million is raised by December 2017, he will boost that amount by $1 million, helping us meet our capital campaign goal. With less than $200,000 left to raise, we are hosting two events to raise more awareness about Housing First Oak Springs.

Upcoming Events

We have two exciting events in November to share with you.
Please help us spread the word about these events to your friends and colleagues.
Chez Zee Bistro The Highball

Wednesday, November 1st
9:30-11:00 AM
Thursday, November 2nd
5:00-7:00 PM
Hope to see you there!

Mental Health First Aid

Have you heard of Mental Health First Aid? Mental Health First Aid can save a life, just like CPR can save someone who can’t breathe or is having a heart attack. Our 8-hour course teaches you how to help someone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis or showing signs of mental illness.
Mental Health First Aid is a great addition to any wellness program and gives managers and employees the tools they need to support each other and identify the signs of a mental health crisis. It can assist in interactions with coworkers, while walking around downtown, or at any moment you may encounter someone experiencing a mental health challenge.
Certified MHFA instructors train participants to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use. Adult and Youth courses are available. Youth courses are for anyone who work with youth ages 12-18.
You can register as an individual or with your co-workers, congregation, family members, etc.  Registration is free thanks to a grant from St. David’s Foundation.

Meet the Staff: Lauren Dreyer

We recently met with Lauren Dreyer, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Program Manager with the Healthy Community Collaborative.
 
Tell us about your role at Integral Care.
 
I am a Program Manager of the Collaborative Community Specialists (CCS) team within the Healthy Community Collaborative, and also manage a small team of housing specialists working with the Home Front permanent supportive housing partnership between Front Steps and Integral Care. The CCS team provides intake, counseling, peer support, SOAR, transition, and jail-based services to individuals with a history of homelessness, mental health issues, and co-occurring disorders. In addition, I teach Adult Mental Health First Aid and provide clinical supervision to social workers obtaining their clinical license.
 
What are some opportunities you see in your position?
 
Our team is innovative, and it is exciting to work with staff to further refine their roles in ways that best meet the needs of the team and the individuals with whom we work.


Continue reading Lauren’s interview.

Announcement

Integral Care is excited to announce that we were recently awarded a $10,000 grant for Housing First Oak Springs by the Religious Coalition to Assist the Homeless.

 

The Religious Coalition to Assist the Homeless supports programs that provide emergency shelter beds, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and more.
Integral Care empowers those experiencing homelessness to work toward goals of self-sufficiency by connecting individuals to integrated healthcare, counseling, substance abuse recovery resources, housing and more. Housing First helps build solid foundations for all members of our community to thrive.
We know that housing is more than four walls. It’s the basic foundation for mental health and well-being. I invite you to be a part of the solution at housingfirstatx.org.

Sincerely,

Ellen Richards
Chief Strategy Officer
Integral Care
Housing First Oak Springs is a project of Integral Care