Today, community leaders from Monroe County, Indiana, joined together to announce the formation of the Stride Coalition, a group comprising public, private and nonprofit organizations to help our community address substance use disorder. With the support of a significant grant from IU Health and the IU Health Foundation, today Stride also announced the development of a dedicated 24-hour crisis diversion center.
Since its founding in 2017, the Stride Coalition has worked behind the scenes to map out the currently available community resources that support those with substance use disorder. With over 40 community organizations represented as members, the group has identified gaps and worked toward solutions.
“One of the critical problems identified by the coalition was the lack of a place to take someone in crisis that isn’t jail or the hospital. Neither option is helpful to the individual, and both drain public resources,” said Linda Grove-Paul, vice president of Adult Services at Centerstone. “People in crisis often need something as simple as a hot meal and a safe place with trained professionals available for support.”
To meet that need, the most significant undertaking by the coalition is the establishment of a jointly funded crisis center — one of the first of its kind in Indiana — slated to open in spring 2020. With commitments from the Bloomington Police Department and the City of Bloomington, the Bloomington Health Foundation, Centerstone, the Community Foundation of Monroe County, Cook Group and Monroe County, the Stride Coalition raised funds for the crisis center in downtown Bloomington. Matching the funds already raised, IU Health and the IU Health Foundation provided a $1,050,000 Community Impact Investment grant, which will allow the crisis center to be fully funded for three years. Centerstone will run the center’s daily operations.
Read complete release at www.stridecoalition.org