NMHA Provides Five Communities With Grants to Address the Needs of Families Living With Mental Illness

National Mental Health Association
Monday, 23 June 2003

The National Mental Health Association is awarding five Invisible Children's Project grants to communities nationwide to address the needs of families in which a parent has a mental illness. The Invisible Children's Project is designed to provide access to mental health services, help parents in their parenting role, maintain family stability, and prevent youth from developing mental health or related problems.

"When a parent has a mental illness, it affects the entire family, not just the parent," said Michael Faenza, NMHA president and CEO. "To ensure family stability, the Invisible Children's Project will help communities increase the available array of mental health services and coordinate the care families who live with mental illness receive."

Each $10,000 grant will help communities raise awareness about the impact of mental illness in families and the necessity of providing coordinated and comprehensive services to address families' needs. Grant sites will lead a coalition of family members, advocates and community stakeholders to develop an action plan to replicate the Invisible Children's Project in their community. The following Mental Health Associations have been selected by NMHA to participate in the Invisible Children's Project initiative: the MHA in Dutchess County, New York; MHA of Passaic County, New Jersey; MHA in Sacramento, California; MHA of Southeastern Pennsylvania; and MHA in Texas.

The Invisible Children's Project, a nationally recognized and award-winning program, was created by the MHA of Orange County, N.Y., in 1993. Services under the Invisible Children's Project umbrella typically include mental health services, family case management, parent skills training, affordable housing, respite care and child development activities. The Invisible Children's Project is a hybrid model of best practices in mental health advocacy, design and delivery of community-based services, and collaboration across diverse mental health treatment systems.

The National Mental Health Association is the country's oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. With more than 340 affiliates nationwide, NMHA works to improve the mental health of all Americans through advocacy, education, research, and service.

For more information, or to contact National Mental Health Association, see their website at: www.nmha.org