People are shown at Fulton County Healing Through Opportunity, Positivity and Empowerment’s last quarterly meeting earlier this year at the Fulton County Public Library’s Rochester branch. Photo provided by Fulton County H.O.P.E.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

ROCHESTER — A substance abuse symposium and mental health chats are part of Fulton County Healing Through Opportunity, Positivity and Empowerment’s current two-year plan.

H.O.P.E. President and Co-Founder Amy Roe recently detailed those plans to The Shopping Guide News of Fulton County.

H.O.P.E.’s mission statement as listed on its website is that it “strives to be the driving force in providing awareness and education to the residents of Fulton County regarding resources as well as provide pathways to accessing those resources.”

The nonprofit, founded in 2018, has three areas of focus: substance abuse, mental health and poverty. Casey Jones, Becky Clark and Tammy Wilson respectively lead committees on those subjects.

Roe said H.O.P.E. works as an “incubator” to develop solutions to help people, letting others run any initiatives started.

“We are the folks who are saying, ‘Hey, this was an identified need, let’s find a resource to start that conversation or move the needle,’” she said.

H.O.P.E. collects data though quarterly meetings, which is used for planning.

The substance abuse symposium, which doesn’t have a specific date yet, would be the second one H.O.P.E.’s ever had, with the first happening around when the organization started.

“It helped to spur on (the substance abuse support group) Celebrate Recovery (locally and) the Recovery Cafe (in Rochester and) support the Drug Court (in Fulton County),” said Roe of the first symposium.

“So now we feel like it’s time to be able to bring that conversation up again and say, ‘OK, are we meeting the expectations still, are there gaps that we have, are there challenges that we’re dealing with, are we doing this well, is there something that we need to potentially pivot to?’” she added.

It was Clark, who works for 4C Health, who suggested having a symposium again.

She also mentioned having the mental health chats, which will probably be next year.

“Knowing that the suicide rate has increased … (Clark) made a case to the board that … even though they’ve done a lot of work, there’s still this huge (mental health) stigma,” said Roe.

Roe said the chats will address such topics as “what is seasonal effective disorder, what is depression, what is anxiety, caregiver burnout.”

Another of H.O.P.E.’s goals is working on creating a facility or better resources in the county for abuse victims.

Roe said leaders recently met with representatives at The Beaman Home in Kosciusko County and toured its facility. The nonprofit, which helps abuse victims, also has a presence in Fulton County.

“We’re having some negotiations and conversations of what that could look like (to bring a shelter here to Fulton County or improve resources),” said Roe. “(Beaman Home) is researching the ways that they can more effectively serve Fulton County, and Fulton County H.O.P.E. is negotiating those conversations.”

The two-year strategic plan also includes creating a program to help people with self-sufficiency.

Roe and others met with Combined Community Services representatives in Kosciusko County regarding their Project Independence program designed for that need.

“Project Independence (has) a case manager who wraps around individuals who are in need and comes alongside and knows the services, helps them navigate (them) … challenges them, keeps them accountable, and they have a 75 to 80% success rate of the folks that go through that program,” said Roe.

She said CCS wouldn’t establish a program here, but H.O.P.E. is merely learning from the organization to start such a thing.

“What we have noticed is that we have made it easy for people to get access to resources, but we have not seen the impact of folks being pulled out of poverty like we’ve wanted to,” said Roe.

Other parts of the strategic plan include improving communication about what H.O.P.E. does and staffing a booth at the Nickel Plate Music and Arts Festival in the summer offering information on resources to people.

Roe said she’s happy “just to think about all the conversations that we’ve fostered, the projects that we’ve been able to help, the community change that we have been able to help influence due to just starting a conversation and inspiring other people and partnering with people.”

Those who wish to get involved with H.O.P.E. may message the organization’s Fulton County HOPE Facebook page, reach out through the organization’s website fchope.org or email [email protected].

People may call (574) 223-4357 if they need help with resources.