Mental Health – Orange County, Florida

Mental Health and Homeless Issues Division

The Orange County Mental Health and Homeless Division ensures that quality mental health services for individuals and families, children and adults, are available and accessible in this community. The division ensures that there are dedicated resources available through a network of community partners, providers and advocacy groups. Orange County continues to lead community conversations in a continuous effort to identify better solutions and stronger outcomes for those experiencing homelessness and mental health/behavioral needs.

Community services in Orange County are provided by Aspire Health Partners, the designated community provider of public behavioral health and substance abuse services. Aspire offers inpatient crisis stabilization and follow up services such as case management, counseling, medication management and medication assistance.

In partnership with the Florida Department of Children and Families and Orange County Government, the Belvin Perry, Jr. Central Receiving Center (CRC) serves individuals engaged by local law enforcement who are experiencing a mental health and/or substance abuse crisis.

Orange County provides the leadership for Wraparound Orange, a federally supported project comprised of a community collaborative of partner agencies contracted to provide wraparound services to children, adolescents and young adults. Wraparound is a nationally recognized model, provides intensive care coordination and management for children, adolescents, and young adults experiencing a behavioral/emotional/mental health and/or substance abuse disorder and their families. Wraparound Orange provides services to those ages 0-21 and is effective in keeping children, adolescents and young adults in their home, school and community. For more information, visit wraparoundorange.net

Additionally, Wraparound Orange contracts with Devereux, Florida, to provide mobile crisis services within our community. The service is available for children/youth, ages 0-17 who need immediate assistance because they are experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis. Anyone can call and request the service and there is no cost to families. Services can be accessed via the Heart of Florida United Way helpline by dialing 211.

In 2015, Wraparound Orange launched a campaign aimed to reduce the stigma often times associated with asking for help. The purpose of the This Is My Story campaign was to create a community conversation for teens and young adults, allowing them to share their personal experiences with mental health. This is My Story is a traveling story-board exhibit and is displayed at events on various college campuses and other community venues where young adults gather. The exhibit encourages participants to share personal experiences or read about how mental illness has affected others. Through the experience, teens and young adults have the opportunity to learn how others may have similar feelings and that it is OK to get help.

In 2014, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs convened a twenty-member Commission comprised of elected officials, law enforcement and community leaders to develop new strategies and initiatives to address the system of care issues in childrens mental health in Orange County. The Commission was tasked with examining the resources, values, accessibility and stigma associated with early identification and interventions available to children and families in Orange County. A copy of the final Committee reports and the Board presentation is available here.

Since that time, an Implementation Team began the work of accomplishing the goals set by the Commission.

Ensuring that the appropriate direct services are in place within a community is crucial. In addition to those direct services, Orange County partners with local and national organizations that offer support and educational services, as well as advocates for those individuals and families living with mental illness.

Mental Health

Other Mental Health Resources

Adult Substance Abuse Services

If you or a family member is in crisis due to substance abuse, please call 911 and request the assistance of a CIT Officer or contact the Aspire Health Partners at (407) 245-0012.

Here in Central Florida, the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida is the lead organization that manages a coordinated system of care to serve Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. This coordinated entry system includes a network of affiliated providers working together to mitigate homelessness. The prerequisite to services begins with an initial assessment that ensures the individual is captured in the local Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). This coordinated approach is crucial because it helps minimize the duplication of services among social services organizations, as well as tracks the status of services to an individual and documents previous or currently offered services. HMIS is a confidential system, which access only granted to authorized social service providers.

If you are homeless, or know someone who is experiencing homelessness, there are several ways to help. The H.O.P.E. Team, a team comprised of caring individuals with specialized backgrounds, conducts homeless outreach services in Central Florida. This team goes to the woods, camps, streets and other locations where homeless individuals gather. They also canvass streets in search of individuals without shelter. The H.O.P.E. team proactively works to locate individuals, but also responds to concerned citizens who believe an individual is homeless and in need of help.

If you are homeless, or assisting someone who is homeless, there are several ways to enter the system of care which assesses, identifies and tracks assistance.

Location:Northland Church530 Dog Track Road, Longwood FL 32751HUBlocated in the Care CenterDays:Every Monday(excluding holidays)Time:1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Location:United Against Poverty150 West Michigan Street, Orlando FL 32806HUBlocated suite DDays:Every Friday(excluding holidays)Time:1:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Location:Health Care Center for the Homeless808 West Central Blvd, Orlando Fl. 32805HUBlocated behind Christian Service Center/Daily BreadDays:Every Friday(excluding holidays)Time:9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Location: (Veterans only) Lake Baldwin Outpatient Clinic5201 Raymond Street, Orlando, Fl. 32803HUB is located in Bldg. #503, Room B1007Days: First three Fridays of every monthTime: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

HUB Additional Information:

This is an assessment only and does not guarantee housing.

The FloridaHousingSearch.org website was launched in June of 2006 and is sponsored by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. The website was developed with support from a number of nonprofit and government organizations in Florida. The housing locator service allows people to locate available housing that best fits their individual and family needs. The service can be accessed online 24 hours a day and is supported by a toll-free, bilingual call center Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. EDT. Individuals can easily search for housing using a wide variety of search criteria with special mapping features and receive apartment listings that provide a multitude of important information about each unit. In addition, the site connects people to other housing resources through website links and provides helpful tools for renters such as an affordability calculator, rental checklist, and renter rights and responsibilities information.

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Mental Health - Orange County, Florida