by SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post
A project involving several organizations will seek to address areas of need in St. Joseph with a focus on homelessness.
Every three years, Mosaic Life Care conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment which finds the top needs in the community. Community Connect grants through Mosaic fund projects that stem from the assessment.
Mosaic Community Relations Officer Pat Dillon said the main things the recent assessment found to be community needs were access to healthcare for those in poverty, substance abuse and mental health.
“All of those are evident in that population down at The Crossing and the drop in center area, so it gave us a chance to not only focus on our Community Health Needs Assessment, but it helped address a problem that’s going on in the community,” Dillon said.
The Urban Mission Collaboration project is being funded and implemented as a response to the community needs. Dillon said they will be working with multiple agencies.
“We’re working with agencies who are professionals in this world,” Dillon said. “The Shelter, Community Action Partnership, who’s providing community health workers, Pivotal Point for transitional housing, of course we’re working with the city, (which is) helping us oversee the project, but also providing some law enforcement support to help bring some stability to that neighborhood.”
Dillon adds that the goal of the project is to go beyond providing food and shelter for homeless individuals.
“The idea is to not only feed and shelter but also to help them, (by finding out) why are you in poverty? Do you need help getting an ID and then do you move to transitional housing, eventually get a job," Dillon said. "So, not only helping them right now, but helping them for the future, helping them maybe move out of poverty.”
Donna Wilson is Community Health Manager with Mosaic. Wilson said they will be utilizing a software program to help them gather data and contact other agencies who are part of the project.
“So if Mosaic wanted to send a referral to someone to get a food box at the Nutrition Center or they needed help with housing, they can simply do it electronically and we can track whether that person actually gets there or not,” Wilson said. “Before, it was giving them a phone number and an address and not being sure that they actually ever got there. So this helps us track that and know whether that actually worked or did not work and what else is needed.”
Pat Dillon said because Mosaic is contracting with the St. Joseph Health Department to oversee the project, for the health department to receive the grant funding, the city council had to approve that at their recent council meeting. Dillon adds no city or tax money is being used for the Urban Mission project.
For more information about the Urban Mission Collaboration and Community Connect, click here.