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Mental Health America
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Advocacy and Recovery Support

Advocacy and Recovery Support promotes the integration of persons with mental illness into the community by providing peer and/or professional support services, advocacy, linkage, and intervention, particularly in the areas of housing, employment, and overall wellness to ensure full receipt of and benefit from traditional psychiatric and social services.

  • Consumer Run Warmline is a bilingual consumer run Warmline (913.281.2251, Toll Free: 1-866-927-6327 or 1-866-WARMEAR). The English line operates every night from 4pm-10pm . The Spanish line operates Monday- Friday from 4pm -7pm.
  • Individual Case Advocacy assists persons with mental illness to obtain mental health or social service treatment and access to resources necessary to maintain quality of life.
  • Legislative Advocacyworks with local, state and federal policy makers to improve the mental health system.
  • Systemic Advocacy works in partnership with agencies in Kansas and Missouri to improve and maintain access to mental health services and other resources.
  • Wellness and Support Advocates (WASA) provide persons with mental illness an opportunity for paid employment where they in turn assist individuals in accessing community resources, educating clients and/or staff, and relieving overburdened professionals by providing services that are not restricted by funding streams.
  • Ark of Friends is a consumer-operated drop-in-center located in Kansas City, MO that operates Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
  • Consumer Leadership and Development is designed to assist consumers and stakeholders to access leadership opportunities throughout the State of Kansas.

Education and Prevention

Mental Health Promotion promotes the mental health of the community by increasing awareness and decreasing stigma.

  • Information and Referral provides a link and resources for the community.
  • Self Help and Support Group Directoryoffers a comprehensive list of peer led, free and low cost groups in the Kansas City metro area.
  • Mental Help Line operates Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and provides answers to questions about mental health and treatment options, and offers referrals to local resources.
  • Workshops, seminars and trainings are provided to mental health professionals, social service workers, consumers and family members, the general public and community workers.
  • Speaker’s Bureau matches individual presenters with educational needs of various groups. 

Child and Youth Mental Health Initiativeworks to increase knowledge of mental health issues and symptoms in children and youth, and understanding of the importance and effectiveness of early treatment.

  • Infant and Toddler Resiliency Trainings  promote good mental health in children and cover signs and symptoms of common mental illnesses in children.  These trainings are offered to early childhood care providers, social service personnel and parents.
  • Teen Suicide Prevention Workshops address risk factors, warning signs, pathways for seeking help, resources available for youth and the importance of early intervention.  Specifically the trainings address how to recognize and respond if faced with a youth who may be considering suicide.  The trainings target teens, parents, school personnel, and other adults who work with and care about youth.

Heartland Housing Initiative

Heartland Housing Initiative increases access to permanent, safe, decent and affordable housing by providing housing options for individuals and families who are disabled and/or have special needs. 

  • Permanent Supportive Housing  owns and operates multiple housing sites in the Kansas City area and provides award-winning safe, decent, and affordable housing to previously homeless individuals with severe and persistent mental illness.  MHAH also provides on-site services which focus on housing stability, peer support, and maintaining tenant access to other vital community-based services.
  • Shelter Plus Care (S+C) processes rent subsidy vouchers for disabled homeless persons and works to guarantee that tenants are engaged with community services that will prevent them from re-entering homelessness.
  • Housing to Homes (HtoH) grew out of MHAH’s  success in researching and developing affordable “best practice” supportive housing for persons with special needs.  HtoH staff stimulates community action by offering consulting/technical assistance, brokerage/linkage, and capacity-building services to key stakeholders committed to preventing and abolishing long term homelessness in their communities.  HtoH provides the following tools and expertise for organizations & communities to combat homelessness:
    • Replicating Success helps organizations work smarter by identifying existing “best practices” from around the country and adapting them to meet the needs of local stakeholders.
    • Redefining Relationships teaches organizations to blend  resources, both financial and human, of multiple interested parties.  HtoH staff has the ability to link national and local stakeholders, intermingle and/or leverage funding streams, and connect organizations who serve overlapping populations, but have very different missions.
    • Promoting Recovery, both in individuals and communities helps homeless individuals to fully recover  by providing a safe, affordable, and permanent “home” to call their own.  Likewise, communities that invest in homeless prevention and permanent supportive housing programs recover significant cost savings in expensive community services homeless individuals use.