Freedom House Recovery Center has provided substance abuse treatments in Chapel Hill for more than 40 years. Mental Health America of the Triangle has supported mental health needs for more than 50 years. With these long track records, they figured it was time to team up.

“We will be able to add some of our staff’s skills with regard to parenting and advocacy with some of the things that Freedom House has been doing,” said Marci White, the executive director for Mental Health America of the Triangle.

She says by joining forces with the Freedom House Recovery Center, they can reach more people in need.

“As mental illness has become more and more prevalent, and there are fewer and fewer services, it’s not unusual at all that individuals turn to substances.”

Merging the two organizations will help provide holistic care for people who suffer from both substance abuse and mental health issues. White said the two often go hand in hand.

“Last year, Freedom house served more than 14,000 individuals with substance abuse and mental health needs. It’s becoming more and more rare that there’s not some kind of mental health connection with many of the substance use disorders.”

The need to address both issues is a public health concern, White says, and should be funded accordingly. The North Carolina General Assembly is considering cutting $262 million in “single stream funding,” which supports people who are uninsured or under-insured and in need of mental health services. White says this threatens the stability of individual organizations, making the merge of Mental Health America and Freedom House essential to consolidating funds and quality services.

“The more that we have more agencies such as Freedom House in combination with our services that are doing more integrated services, the more people see the need to treat and provide services for the whole person.”

White says one of the organization’s biggest goals is to increase awareness and understanding of the issues.

“The more that individuals see it as something that my friend, my neighbor, my uncle, my spouse, or even myself struggles with, then we de-stigmatize that and can help other people become brave enough to seek help.”

Those seeking help without adequate healthcare coverage can find free services and counseling in the new, and twice as large Freedom House, White says.

“We really do see this as an opportunity for us to broaden our collective communities of support and let’s have more conversations about these issues because they affect all of us day in and day out.”

More information about Freedom House can be found on their website.

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