LEXINGTON, KY —On October 1st, 2018, the Community Action Council for Lexington-Fayette, Bourbon, Harrison, and Nicholas Counties, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a $2 million federal grant over five years to provide mental health and substance abuse treatment services annually to at least 40 individuals and families experiencing homelessness across 16 Kentucky counties. The Community Action Council is a non-profit organization that studies the causes and effects of poverty in communities and works toward solutions.

As a program partner with the council, KVC Behavioral HealthCare Kentucky will join Kentucky River Foothills Community Action Partnership, Bluegrass Community Action Partnership, Bluegrass.org, and Kentucky Counseling Center in providing holistic, culturally appropriate, evidence-based outpatient mental health and substance use treatment programs in Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Estill, Franklin, Garrard, Harrison, Jessamine, Lincoln, Madison, Mercer, Nicholas, Powell, Scott and Woodford Counties. This grant will provide much needed resources to address Kentucky’s opioid crisis.

In a press release, Malcolm Ratchford, the Council’s Executive Director, stated, “This program will meet critical needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness when at least one member of the family has a substance use disorder or mental illness. Our objective is to provide direct treatment services, including screening, assessment, and case management. This funding will also allow us to link individuals receiving these services to permanent housing and to provide much needed recovery and wrap-around services such as child care, vocational training, education and transportation.”

“Responding to the substance use epidemic requires an innovative, collaborative and multi-systemic approach. That is

why we are so excited to be a part of this important initiative with the Community Action Council and our fellow partners!”

Gina Klyachkin
President, KVC Kentucky

A core mission of KVC Kentucky is to support Kentucky’s most vulnerable citizens, such as children. In 2014, KVC Kentucky was awarded $2 million from the KY Kids Recovery program which exists to expand substance abuse treatment for teens in every region of Kentucky. In 2016, KVC Kentucky was awarded $400,000 by Attorney General, Andy Beshear to continue treating adolescents with substance use problems. This latest partnership with the Community Action Council will ensure that even more action is being taken to combat this epidemic.

KVC Kentucky offers a variety of mental and behavioral health services including a Walk-In Clinic for individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide or other behavioral health challenges. Open every Wednesday, the Walk-In Clinic gives clients immediate access to our professional, Masters level therapists who will conduct initial behavioral health and substance use assessments for patients without an appointment. To learn more about KVC Kentucky’s behavioral health services, visit our website.