State grant helps Damien Center expand support for LGBTQ+ community
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — For nearly 40 years, the Damien Center has provided services and support for Hoosiers living with HIV and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Soon, the center will be able to expand some of its services, thanks to funding from the state.
Last week, Damien Center announced that it is the recipient of a four-year, $800,000 grant from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction.
Damien Center will use the funding to offer more mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment services for LGTBQ+ individuals and hire two full-time licensed mental health therapists.
The funding also enables the creation of group therapy programs tailored to specific needs, including LGBTQ+ older adults (55+), transgender and gender-diverse individuals, and other groups identified through community input.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community tend to experience addiction, substance use disorder, and mental health needs at a much higher rate than the general population, Alan Witchey, president and CEO of the Damien Center, said Monday on Daybreak.
Witchey says that it’s critical, but often difficult, for LGBTQ+ individuals to find mental health care in a supportive environment.
“They might go to medical care or mental health care…and not have, necessarily, a friendly experience,” Witchey said. “Some people might make them feel like they should be back in the closet, or they don’t belong, or sort of build up that stigma. What we really try to do is break that down and create a very safe place for people to come and get the care they need.”
The goal for the future, Witchey says, is to provide a “one-stop shop” for the local LGBTQ+ community by offering as many services as possible under one roof, including medical care and food and housing support.
“We we hope to create a whole environment in our community where people are safe; regardless of who you are, walking into our doors feels like a safe and welcoming place for care,” Witchey said. “We want to partner with people who are the most disenfranchised and our community who needs support the most and create that environment where they can come in and get the hope and the support that they need.”
Anyone in need of Damien Center’s services is encouraged to visit damien.org. People interested in mental health services can go to the patient portal and fill out an interest form and someone will be in touch, Witchey says.