With Community Support, Harvest House Expands Mental Health Program

After a highly successful three-year pilot program, Harvest House is expanding and has officially launched its Wellness Within Reach program. This initiative provides free mental health therapy services delivered directly in supportive housing or home settings, lowering barriers to mental health care for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and/or severe trauma in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Harvest House’s targeted demographic in Sarasota County includes 78 percent low- or moderate-income residents facing chronic homelessness, addiction, severe trauma, and untreated mental health conditions. Limited access to affordable and geographically accessible mental health services exacerbates instability, perpetuating cycles of homelessness and trauma.

During the pilot program, Harvest House tracked the impact on 126 participants and the results were resoundingly successful. There was a 100 percent success rate related to housing stability, as well as a significantly reduced incidence of recidivism for program participants who engaged in therapy: Women who received therapy had a 0 percent recidivism rate while men who received therapy had a 14 percent recidivism rate. These outcomes are much lower than Florida’s average, where more than 60 percent of people released from prison are rearrested within three years and approximately 25 percent are reincarcerated.

Additionally, program organizers found the program increased community resilience, reduced the stigma surrounding mental health conditions, and improved overall health outcomes within its target populations.

“I’ve never taken care of my mental health. I’ve been through so much trauma and made [so] many poor choices that it created a lifestyle of chaos and confusion," said a current Harvest House Family Village resident and program participant. "[Harvest House] has provided me with tools/resources and has assisted me in creating a healthier, clearer mindset in order to help navigate through life and create the lifestyle I envision for myself and my son, so I may be the example for him and provide a better roadmap that [ensures] he does not fall victim to the same path and choices as I made.”

Thanks to funding totaling $380,000 from area foundations and government entities—including Gulf Coast Community Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Golisano Foundation and Sarasota County HERO Funds—Harvest House will expand the program to reach additional community members.

Read more here.