...helping people build skills, self-confidence and support

	News to Note...
	We’re pleased to announce our latest grant from the Boeing Company. The company is supporting our Self-Sufficiency Project, which helps the homeless individuals with mental illness we serve. The grant will support our clients as they take significant steps in returning to productive lives, such as when they get a job, go to school or move into an apartment.

Introduction 

Following our deep commitment to reach out to communities in need of mental health care, MHA has served the Antelope Valley part of our county since 1988. Today, we continue to be the only nonprofit mental health program for adults and young adults with mental illness and homeless people with mental illness.

In this community – often a needy but neglected part of the county – collaboration is the cornerstone of our work. We work closely with others – service systems, elected officials, business and community leaders – to create a cohesive community so the people we serve can find an open, accepting environment and opportunities to achieve their goals. We are fortunate to have a dynamic advisory committee to guide us in these efforts.

Services

From our first self-help club, we have built a broad spectrum of services:

		Integrated Services for Adults In this program, we work one-to-one with adults who have mental illness. We customize a full range of services – mental health care, housing assistance, job training, substance abuse recovery, social skills training and money management – to each individual’s goals. This program includes our AB 34 project, named after state legislation to break the cycle between streets and jail for homeless people with mental illness.
		Transition Age Youth Program We help young people with mental illness ages 17 to 25, many coming from foster care, make a safe and secure transition to adult life. We assist them in locating housing and provide training in daily living skills. We link them to education and help them train for work and find jobs.
		Homeless Assistance Program MHA offers the valley’s only service for homeless people with mental illness, including those who have substance abuse problems. Services at our drop-in center meet immediate needs for showers, laundry, clothes, and links to food and shelter. Our long-term assistance in finding housing, learning living skills, and receiving health and mental health treatment is the key to helping individuals move to safety and stability off the streets.
		Housing “Housing Plus” pairs our care with housing certificates for low-income, disabled people. We help individuals apply for the certificates, find apartments in the community, move in and be successful in their new homes. My Front Door, another MHA program, is a lease-to-own program that matches individuals with condominiums and loan programs for low-income people.
		Homeless Solutions Access Center To respond to a community-wide need, we are lead agency for the valley’s first Access Center, which is an entryway to services for all homeless people. Serving individuals and families, our 20-agency collaborative helps them with basic needs right away and links them to the housing and services they need to put a permanent end to their homelessness. With partners on site and in the community, the center tailors its help to meet mental health, health, substance abuse recovery, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS service needs.
		Project Return: The Next Step Discovery Center Part of the peer support network we sponsor, this is the valley’s first center run by and for people with mental illness. It offers education classes, recovery group meetings, life and work skills training, a resource library, get-togethers at the center and social activities in the community.

Honors

In recognition of our contributions to the community, United Way of Los Angeles’ Antelope Valley Region named us “charity of the year” for 1997 and 2001, the same year our valley services director was named “volunteer of the year.” In 2002, we were “charity of the year” specifically for work with the Access Center.

Our Antelope Valley director has been recognized for her leadership. She is the valley’s 2003 “Athena Award” winner for professional excellence, community service and mentoring. In 2000, she received special recognition for lifetime achievement from the “Welcome Back Awards,” a national program sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company to recognize excellence in individuals’ work on behalf of people with depression. The National Mental Health Association honored her with the Clifford Beers Award, its highest honor, in 1996.

Funding

Our services are supported by contributions from the community and contracts with government. We have received support from the Boeing Company, Lancaster West Rotary, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman Corporation. Our services are funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, California Department of Mental Health, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Contact Us

We serve the Antelope Valley at three sites. The best way to reach us is to contact our main office, located at 43423 Division St., Suite 107, Lancaster, CA 93535. Its phone number is 661-726-2850.