Huntington Picked For Grant To Address Homelessness, Substance Abuse

Unhoused people in the Huntington area and those experiencing mental illness and substance use disorders may soon find it easier to get help.  

Huntington is one of eight communities nationwide to be awarded a $3 million federal grant to strengthen efforts to help struggling residents with more coordinated behavioral health treatment, recovery support and housing.  

The grant, through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and will be used to support Huntington’s HARBOR initiative — which stands for Housing, Access, Recovery, Behavioral Health, Outreach, and Reengagement. 

The goal is to better coordinate a continuum of care that’s already in place. 

“We have health care providers. We have behavioral health, addiction treatment, homeless services, housing services, police, first responders, a court system, recovery organizations. But too often, we still find that some people fall through those cracks,” Huntington Mayor Patrick Farrell said. “This is targeted specifically to break the cycle from them going from the streets to the emergency room to the shelter to treatment to jail sometimes, and then back to the streets.” 

Partners in the effort include the Huntington Police Department, Marshall Health Network, the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and its Division of Addiction Sciences, Valley Health, Harmony House, the REACH Initiative and the West Virginia Health Information Network. 

“This grant will strengthen our local continuum of care by bringing community providers, law enforcement and the court system into closer alignment,” Jan Rader, senior advisor to the mayor, said. “Through a more coordinated approach, we can better connect individuals involved in the justice system with behavioral health care and other treatment options. Our goal is to help break the cycle of repeated incarceration for people living with mental illness and substance use disorders and support a path toward recovery and stability.” 

The award includes a recommendation for another $3 million annually for the next three years, a potential total of $12 million.