OHIO — New housing for Ohioans dealing with severe mental illness is expected to be in place later this year.
What You Need To Know
- The project is being done with the help of a $500,000 donation from Melissa's House
- Ohio's National Alliance on Mental Illness is taking the lead on the project
- NAMI hopes to have something done within six months
Ohio's National Alliance on Mental Illness is taking on the project, helped by a $500,000 donation from Melissa's House. That charity has spent much of its time helping to renew facilities and homes across central Ohio, specifically for those struggling with mental illness.
Terry Russell, a senior advisor at Ohio’s NAMI, is heading up the project, which is called the Terry Russell Housing Initiative. He said that they’ve seen a number of people struggling since several state hospitals closed.
“And we've just not done anything about it. And now it's time to do it,” said Russell. “We're going to build facilities where people can go and live where you can get better.”
Russell said while what they’re providing will not be enough, they have to start somewhere. The hope is that they’ll be able to expand, although it will take some time.
“I would hope we'd have something done within the next six months,” he said.