An Oakton-based nonprofit has received two contracts totaling nearly $1 million to expand its support services for Northern Virginia residents with serious mental illness and substance-use disorders.
Announced yesterday (Tuesday), the contracts were awarded to HopeLink Behavioral Health by the state and Fairfax County governments.
“Both of these efforts fit well with HopeLink’s current services and mission, and will directly support those working to identify and connect with the resources and services they need,” HopeLink President Joseph Getch said.
The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services awarded HopeLink just under $600,000 to help clients with serious mental illness access permanent housing and accompanying support services in Fairfax County.
The funding will provide for expansion of existing services, including a team of six staff members who work to reduce homelessness and hospitalization stays by connecting clients with affordable housing.
“Using the proven housing-first approach, which prioritizes getting people into housing and then providing supportive services, HopeLink will help people stabilize their lives through stable housing by giving them time to achieve their personal goals while living independently in the community,” HopeLink officials said.
A contract worth $331,000 from the Fairfax County Department of Family Services will provide adolescents and young adults up to 25 years old with mental health and substance-abuse services from HopeLink.
“Finding and accessing children’s and young people’s mental health and substance-use services can be difficult,” officials with the nonprofit said.
“HopeLink will start a care-navigation program to create a single point of entry and build a team of care navigators,” the organization said. “A navigator collaborates with the young person and their family to develop a care plan, which considers the young person’s unique needs, preferences and circumstances, as well as cultural factors.”
The program will complement other HopeLink services, including a crisis chatline and the Transition to Independence Process, which offers intensive support over an 18-month period for those ages 14 to 29 experiencing emotional and behavioral difficulties.
State and local funding, on top of private donations, could become critical going forward for nonprofits like HopeLink that provide safety net services, as the federal government freezes or reduces aid to outside organizations.
This week, the Trump administration began laying off 10,000 full-time workers across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including in agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.
HopeLink CEO Joseph Getch told FFXnow that the nonprofit hasn’t felt the effects of the federal government cuts yet, but it’s preparing for possible impacts.
“The need for mental health and suicide and crisis intervention services continues to grow, and we remain committed to serving the communities within which we work,” Getch said in a statement. “It’s too early to tell with certainty how and if changes at the national level will trickle down and impact funding for the specific programs we operate, but it is something we continue to monitor closely, discuss with our funding partners, and to contingency plan for.”
