Community Wellbeing Grants Awarded
$160,000 IN MHSA FUNDING AWARDED TO PROMOTE THE MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING OF TRI-CITY COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Tri-City Mental Health Center (TCMHC) has announced the release of $160,000 in grants to support their Community Wellbeing Program, part of the Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Plan developed by stakeholders across the three cities. Funded by the Mental Health Services Act, the Community Wellbeing Program aims to foster the implementation of community-driven plans to support and enhance the welfare of their members.
As outlined within the grant proposal guidelines, a “community” is defined as a group of people who know each other well enough to act together and provide support for each other, who are committed to improving the emotional and behavioral wellbeing of their members. Subject to a short list of qualifying prerequisites (e.g., 501(c)3 status/sponsorship), Tri-City communities were invited to apply for a grant award of up to $10,000 per year for a maximum of three years in the interest of furthering wellbeing initiatives.
“Communities have strengths and assets that alreadysupport their members’ health and wellbeing,” said MHSA Manager, Rimmi Hundal. “With the appropriate support, these strengths and assets can be leveraged to improve and sustain the wellbeing of their members over time. No service system, no matter how efficient and effective, can ever be a complete and permanent substitute for the sustained care and nurturing that becomes available to individuals and families through their natural communities of support.”
Under the leadership of Consultant, John Ott (www.luminescence.org), the official Request for Proposal was issued February 15, 2011, and responses were due April 1, 2011. A grant reading group comprised of community delegates and Tri-City staff members was formed for the purpose of evaluating and scoring entries. Thirty submissions were received and were carefully narrowed down to a select fifteen. On April 21, 2011, a subsequent meeting was held for those applicants who did not meet selection criteria but sought the opportunity to reapply. Of the nine groups who reapplied, an additional one respondent was chosen, and on May 26, 2011, an orientation meeting for all sixteen grantees was held. The list of awardees is as follows:
· DanburySchool, Claremont School District
· Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe
· Educational and Community Services in Motion
· Board and Staff, Foothill AIDS Project
· We Have a Voice, Helping Hands
· Staff, House of Ruth
· PomonaAlcohol and Drug Provider Network, NCADD
· Pilgrim Place
· After Purple Hearts, Pomona First Baptist Church
· After School, Pomona First Baptist Church
· Project Hope, Pomona First Baptist Church
· Strengthening Families, Pomona First Baptist Church
· Youth Sports, Pomona First Baptist Church
· Family Caregiver Support Program, Pomona Community Senior Services
· RSVP, Pomona Community Senior Services
· Veterans Wellness Collaborative
Successful applicants were evaluated on a number of criteria, including such things as the ability to demonstrate participation from recognized leaders of the community, definitive commitments from those leaders to actively participate in the activities to be funded by the community wellbeing grant, and a plausible connection between the proposed activities and the expected impact of those activities on the emotional and behavioral wellbeing of community members. Grantees would also be required to collect data (with training and support from Tri-City Mental Health Center), to document the impact of the community’s actions on the emotional and behavioral wellbeing of community members, and to participate in a learning process with other Tri-City area communities in the process of implementing community wellbeing efforts.
Examples of actions communities may take to promote the mental and emotional wellbeing of their members include community wellness fairs, cultural events to promote deeper understanding and connection to culture, language, and healing traditions, and community mentoring efforts to provide support to young people experiencing emotional or mental distress.
About Tri-City Mental Health Center
Established in 1961, Tri-City Mental Health Center (TCMHC) was conceptualized as a comprehensive mental health service provider, dedicated to helping families and individuals of all ages reach their full potential. Through close and dedicated collaboration with the community it serves, TCMHC has successfully created an integrated system of care that ensures access and enhances the mental and emotional health of our community. Available services include but are not limited to psychotherapy, clinical case management, substance abuse treatment and prevention, youth-at-risk programs, and community outreach. To inquire further about the programs and services offered, please contact MHSA Manager, Rimmi Hundal, at (909) 623-6131.
