2016-582-E Finance - Freedom House Recovery Center, Inc. - Outside Agency Performance Agreement

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DocuSign Envelope ID:636AFD33-DA5C-4B55-88DC-03C0863BAFE3 t A - continued Provider's Outside Agency Application MAIN APPLICATION Chapel Hill Residential Rehab Programs Freedom House works to provide effective, economical community services that break the cycle of poverty, substance use disorders and mental illness by providing residential rehab treatment to men and women whose illnesses have left them homeless, disenfranchised, and without work. This long-term treatment program gives the support needed for these men and women to find strong recovery and re-enter their lives with jobs and housing, and more importantly, with a sustaining recovery from their illnesses. We provide structured case management support to meet the needs of the men and women in the residential rehab programs, often focusing on housing, job readiness, interpersonal and financial skills, education and family reunification. For example, 43% of clients are parents whose children are in custody of DSS or in temporary custody of a family member. Staff assists residents in developing an appropriate dialogue with DSS with the goal of reunification after treatment. We also involve family members in the treatment of the residents, working not only toward healing the client, but also helping to heal the relationship of the entire family. Last year, 79% of clients were reunited with their family. c) Describe the local need or problem to be addressed in relation to the Consolidated Plan or other community priorities (i.e. Council/Board Goals). Cite local data to support the need for this program and the population being served. Thousands of people in Orange County are touched by the diseases of alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental illness. There are more than 59,000 adolescent and adult residents are affected by alcohol drug abuse/addiction (Alcohol/Drug Council of NC). Substance abuse costs Orange County residents over$195 million every year.Additionally, mental illness afflicts 24% of North Carolina's population and costs the state $4.8 billion (28,000 of these are Orange County residents). According to County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, Orange County citizens report 3.1 poor mental health days per month and 16% report they drink excessively, higher than the state average (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute). North Carolina has a goal to reduce the number of poor mental health days to 2.8 per month by 2020 (Healthy NC 2020). The last several years have been devastating for low-income North Carolinians in need of health care, especially those suffering from mental illness and for substance addiction. As communities and agencies work to provide the best care for the mentally ill and addicted, as well as work toward improved health outcomes at the county and state level, the NC Mental Health system continues to be in transition. Two landmark decisions were made recently that impacted our agency, (1) the Governor's Office refused a large percentage of the Medicaid matching expansion funding from the Federal Government, and (2) the Federal government slashed block grant funding by more than 10% (funding that impacts programs for women, including crisis services.) Although the state has a goal to reduce the rate of mental-health visits to emergency departments by 2020, reduced funding levels have led to fewer services for this vulnerable population and in turn to crowded emergency rooms. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control reported that nearly 10% of all Emergency Department visits in North Carolina list mental illness as a diagnosis. The national average is 5%. Substance use disorders and untreated mental illness are directly connected with indigence, unemployment, adolescent pregnancy, school dropout, crime, chronic illness and death. Freedom House has developed community partnerships and programs that build the Main Application 1125120164:55:19 PM Page 8 of 24