May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Dear Friends,
May is here and with it comes Mental Health Awareness Month! Today, we join the millions of people who are fighting to end the stigma around mental illness and who are advocating for stronger support systems so that people with mental health disabilities can enjoy a life with dignity, autonomy, and equality.
We are also launching a Mental Health Awareness Month Campaign with a goal of raising $50,000 during the month of May to support Mental Health Advocacy Services' provision of free legal services for low-income folks with mental health disabilities.
You may be wondering how it is that a group of legal advocates can improve health outcomes for people with mental illness. While we aren't mental health service providers, Mental Health Advocacy Services recognizes that there are a myriad of non-medical factors that can affect a person’s mental health, well-being, and quality of life. Socioeconomic status and structural racism, for example, produce and perpetuate health inequities.
Our goal as legal advocates is to leverage our expertise to ensure that our clients have access to safe housing, stable employment, physical and mental health care, and other resources needed to prevent mental health challenges and address them when they arise.
Free legal services ensure that low-income folks not only have access to the justice system but also increase the likelihood that they will obtain the benefits and rights to which they are legally entitled. Please consider making a donation in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month to help MHAS serve clients like Cirila and Ana who are highlighted below. Thank you as always for your support.
Sincerely,
Jenny Farrell
Executive Director
Cirila has a teenage daughter named Ana who receives mental health services via one of our community partners (names changed to protect client privacy). Cirila saw how Ana's mental health worsened whenever Ana thought of her mother going to court against their landlord.
Ana was distraught over their landlord’s refusal to reimburse Cirila for expenses she incurred to repair their apartment after it flooded and ruined most of their personal belongings. When Ana shared with her mental health provider that her unstable living conditions were causing debilitating anxiety, the provider referred Ana and Cirila to MHAS for free legal services.
MHAS attorney Erik Nickels helped Cirila secure a settlement that not only avoided the need for stressful litigation, but also provided Cirila with a much-needed $7,000 reimbursement payment for the expenses she had incurred after the flood. The settlement also allowed Cirila to end her lease early without being penalized. Cirila and Ana are now enjoying a new, safe home which, rather than being anxiety-inducing, promotes well-being.