Inside the North Philly basketball league for homeless men: ‘It helps me to realize who I really am’

Philadelphia Inquirer    August 23, 2019 This basketball game began with a bucket, right off the tipoff, and then a matching bucket, and another bucket. Finally, somebody missed. Every Wednesday this summer, in a little gym just off a courtyard in the back of the historic Church of the Advocate at Diamond and Gratz Streets in North […]

Joan Erney to Retire as CEO of CBH

DBHIDS    August 21, 2019 PHILADELPHIA — The Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) today announced that Joan Erney will retire as chief executive officer of its Community Behavioral Health (CBH) division effective ‪December 31, 2019. Behavioral Health Commissioner David T. Jones said CBH’s chief operating officer, Donna Bailey, has been named interim CEO […]

‘I AM…’: Speaker works to empower Philly preteens, July 2019

By Donovan Forrest, DBHIDS Summer 2019 Intern Young Philadelphia boys and girls screamed their positive messages about themselves for all to hear when Donovan Forrest brought his message to them this month at Ace Camp in West Philadelphia. Ace Camp participates with the Madeline Moore Summer Camp Grant program offered by DBHIDS. Forrest, executive director […]

New Mural Arts Program Transforming Lives of Homeless Philadelphians While Beautifying City

CBS 3    August 2, 2019 PHILADELPHIA — A new mural will be unveiled Tuesday in SEPTA’s Suburban Station. It’s creation is part of a new program that’s transforming lives. It’s a same day work and pay program that’s connecting people who are struggling and in need of things like mental health services. It’s been such a […]

City emulates Mural Arts’ ‘same-day pay’ work model after seeing big demand

WHYY    August 2, 2019 Becky Green and her husband have not had a steady place to live since 2017. “We sleep outside or with family and friends, depending on who will allow us to stay over,” she said. Without a fixed address or proper documentation, Green said, she and her husband have faced barriers finding work. […]

Heat wave response: Philly’s quadrupling homeless outreach for Code Red

Billy Penn    July 19, 2019 The incoming heat wave had only started to tease Philadelphia on Thursday morning, but the 85-degree thermometer reading was already paired with an uncomfortable dose of humidity. In Logan Square, Carrie Wagner and Owen Riordan were working their way around the park. Not everyone accepted the icy bottles of water they […]

City program makes camp a possibility for youth with behavioral health challenges

Philadelphia Inquirer    July 17, 2019 Before 2016, Miguel Batiz spent countless summer days in his Holmesburg bedroom, using the computer, playing video games, and eating. Aside from trips with his mother and two younger siblings to ride bikes or visit nearby parks, he stayed home, nearly isolated. When the school year neared its end in 2016, […]

The best mental health treatments for youth are slow to catch on in Philadelphia, study finds

Philadelphia Inquirer    July 5, 2019 Not all therapy is created equal. Years of scientific research have shown that some types of mental health treatment, like cognitive behavioral therapy, are more effective than others. But not all providers offer those treatments, and a new study shows just how challenging it can be to get them to switch. […]

Need to address: City jails combat influx of drugs on the inside, recidivism with MAT program

Philadelphia Weekly    July 5, 2019 Paul Robbins recently spent about six months in Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility (CFCF), a Philadelphia’s men’s jail, for drug-related charges.Robbins was on methadone when he was incarcerated, and he was able to remain on methadone throughout his time behind bars. The jail’s medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program for opioid use disorder allows inmates […]

Six months in, Philly assesses its smoking ban in inpatient rehabs

Philadelphia Inquirer    July 1, 2019 Six months into a ban on smoking in all city-funded inpatient drug treatment centers, Philadelphia officials say the prohibition hasn’t impacted the number of people seeking or staying in addiction treatment — in fact, they say, more people are entering rehab. But advocates call the ban an unnecessary barrier to treatment […]