BOISE, Idaho — The Boise City Council and mayor approved $2 million in mental health funding grants for nonprofits offering mental health services in the city Monday.
The money was a part of $34 million approved from the American Rescue Plan funding for the city. Mental health funding will be given to programs that increase access to “affordable, equitable, culturally, and linguistically appropriate mental health services” for people who are low-income, under-served, uninsured or under-insured, according to the City of Boise website.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness Treasure Valley (NAMI) is just one of the numerous nonprofits that will be able to apply for grant money from the City of Boise from now until August 31.
NAMI Treasure Valley is an affiliate of the national organization NAMI. Their mission is to educate, support, and advocate for people who are touched by mental illness. The organization provides support groups and educational programs while also advocating at the legislative level.
The pandemic exposed inequities in access to resources across our community, and, with that in mind, Boise City Council and Mayor McLean approved $34 million in American Rescue Plan funding to serve the Boiseans most affected.
— City of Boise (@CityOfBoise) July 11, 2022
“We really want to make sure that anyone who is feeling mental illness symptoms… or feeling like they need some extra support, is able to get that care that they need,” NAMI Treasure Valley Board Director Alex London said.
NAMI traditionally gets funding from sponsors and grants and is able to offer their services for free. The grant will allow them to apply for additional funding to continue to provide their resources and programs at no cost to people in the area.
“We know that Idaho is severely lacking in mental health care access and treatment,” London said. “There isn’t enough providers here, and there are a lot of people that aren't able to access care or don’t feel like they have the confidence to be able to seek out that care. We’re particularly excited to see this funding coming through to be able to uplift a lot of the services that are currently here and struggling to continue to get those word of mouth marketing and opportunities open for people to access that different treatment.”
