FINDLAY, Ohio (WLIO) — A crisis is averted — for now — for local mental health and addiction agencies.
Late Tuesday night, City Mission of Findlay was notified that funding tied to a federal mental health grant would be cut at midnight. The grant is part of a larger pool of federal funding that supports mental health and substance use services locally and across the country.
The nonprofit operates a low-barrier shelter along with other programs that provide temporary housing, meals, medical care and other services.
The nonprofit operates a low-barrier shelter along with other programs that provide temporary housing, meals, medical care and other services. City Mission serves lunch and dinner 365 days a year, preparing up to 500 hot meals daily for those in need.
Just over 24 hours later, City Mission and other local agencies received word that the federal funding had been reinstated.
For City Mission, losing the funding would have meant a loss of $270,000 for the remainder of the year — money that helps support daily operations.
Executive Director Kathryn Bausman said if the organization relied entirely on that funding, the shelter would have been forced to shut down immediately, turning people away as dangerously cold temperatures approach in the coming week.
Bausman said closing was never an option.
“We’re a faith-based organization. The government didn’t tell me to open a low barrier shelter. God did, and God didn’t tell me to close it. And so I brought my staff in immediately. I told the staff in the low barrier shelter, we are not closing the low barrier shelter. The city needs the low barrier shelter. This county needs the low barrier shelter. We will not close it.”
Bausman said City Mission is fortunate to have strong community partners and donors who could step in to support operations during an emergency.
The organization continues to encourage donations to help ensure its doors remain open for those in need.
