Tuesday, May 6, 2025
5/6/2025
C4 Mental Health First Aid Training SAMHSA Grant - Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) will provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training to Chicago communities including training to faith-based organizations, schools, community organizations, community residents, parents/caregivers, and to other social service organizations. C4's program expects to increase mental health literacy among support systems for individuals who work with adults and/or youth in Chicago and to train 1,500 individuals in MHFA over the course of five years. The target geographic catchment areas to be served are the City of Chicago communities, especially high need and underserved areas. The project will link adults and youth with mental health issues to mental, emotional, and behavioral health assistance and services. The project will also increase C4's number of collaborative partnerships with relevant community agencies and programs. The goals of the program will be to: 1) Support Chicago communities by providing training to faith-based organizations, schools, community organizations, community residents, parents/caregivers, and to other social service organizations in Mental Health First Aid, adult and youth version, that includes recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental illness, particularly, serious mental illness (SMI) and/or serious emotional disturbance (SED); and identifying resources available in the community for adults and youth with a mental illness. 2) Identify the intended individuals to receive Mental Health First Aid Training to be trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness and how to respond appropriately and safely. 3) Establish referral mechanisms that increase the ability of individuals trained in mental health awareness to refer and link adults and youth with a mental illness or SMI/SED to mental health resources and services. Community Counseling Centers of Chicago (C4) builds strength in the community as a leading community mental health agency in Illinois offering a comprehensive range of mental health and crisis intervention services to more than 7,000 children, adults, and families each year. C4 was the first agency in Chicago to have staff trained in 2008. C4 has successfully trained over 3,500 individuals in Mental Health First Aid. Activities include to successfully deliver 12 MHFA training sessions per year (60 sessions over five years) to 1,500 individuals (300 per year) include: certifying eight trainers as MHFA instructors through Mental Health First Aid USA; organizing, scheduling, and delivering MHFA training throughout the City of Chicago, and promoting MHFA training to interested individuals who work directly with youth and their families. MHFA training will be offered in English and Spanish.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).