Why We Exist
Over 27 million adults in the United States with a mental illness are untreated, according to Mental Health America. And out of that number, only 1 in 3 Black adults seek help who need it. We want to provide solutions to one of the biggest barriers to individuals being able to access these resources, which is finances.
The Mental Health Emergency Fund, Inc. (MHEF) empowers marginalized communities by removing barriers to mental health support through direct financial assistance, education, and advocacy. We create pathways to accessible, affordable mental healthcare while building knowledge and reducing stigma.
Our vision is to see a world where quality mental healthcare is affordable, accessible, equitable and inclusive.
How It Works
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We first have to make sure we have enough funds to give away our mental health emergency stipends. So far, we’ve been able to award a total of $35,000 to 50 recipients, provide one applicant with 12 free therapy sessions, fund financial literacy classes for 111 community members, provide $10K in seed money for The Joy and Rest Fund and provide $8000 in microgrants to 2 youth organizations in Baltimore City.
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Once the funds are in place, we will promote it through our newsletters, social media, word-of-mouth and other channels to get the word out there. Subscribe to keep up with the lastest!
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A committee reviews the applicants for the mental health stipend to reduce bias. There are a number of factors that go into our selection process to include type of insurance, whether the applicant has an emergency fund, what their personal story is, etc. We’ve also added a PHQ4 assessment that screens for anxiety and depression and a Life Impact Score, provided by Halcyon Clinical Services.
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After the donations are transferred from the account housing the Fund, the selected applicant will receive notice of their stipend and indicate which provider they’ll be working with. The therapy practice will invoice us directly once sessions begin.
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Depending on certain grants, there may be additional stipulations on who can apply, for instance: youth, single moms, etc. (While it is our primary focus to service Black and Brown Baltimore residents, we don’t turn others away.)
Besides this, the only main stipulation for now is that the recipient MUST use the money for mental health services. We also ask that the stipends be used within a year’s time. As this grows, there may be more parts to the process.
We have a vetted list of referrals in our directory for those living in the state of MD.