September is Suicide Prevention Month, and during HOPE's 11-year history, we are aware of at least 3 single-parent participants who said they were considering suicide before discovering our program. One of our mission pillars is to provide counseling support to our participants, which is needed now more than ever. Between the pandemic, economic struggles, and the pressures of college and raising a family, HOPE plans to secure additional counseling services to provide mental health support.
Mental Illness can lead to suicide, one of the fastest-growing epidemics in America, with approximately 44,000 people in the U.S. committing suicide each year. It is the second leading cause of death among individuals 25-34 years old, however, only 1 in 3 Black Americans who need mental health care receives it. HOPE eliminates common barriers to treatment by providing participants with free counseling services from Atlanta-area Licensed Professional Counselors, which has proven to save lives.
HOPE works with several Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) in the greater Atlanta area who provide counseling services to our participants. HOPE donations cover the cost of these sessions, but with the addition of more participants to the program and an increase in counseling requests from them, we need additional funding support to meet the demand. This project will ensure every single parent in our program is able to get the help they need, when they need it, potentially saving a life.
The long-term impact could be a life saved. Three HOPE participants shared that they had suicidal thoughts before being accepted into our program. Donors fund the resources necessary to provide the counseling services single-parents need, ensuring they can continue to be parents, students, friends, and more. Greater access, with additional counselors, will also reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, especially in the Black community, and promote even greater utilization of this service.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
