Embracing Mental Health: Nurturing Compassion, Inspiring Recovery

Posted in: From Dr. Chad Audi

May
22

Dear friends, supporters, and partners.

Mental Health Awareness Month, an initiative that shines as a beacon of hope in the fog of adversity. With Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) as your companion, this occasion extends far beyond the pages of a calendar—it echoes a unified call for compassion, an invitation to unveil the often-veiled struggle millions endure every day. Embarking on this profound journey, we’ll delve into the intricate landscape of mental health, armed with empowering statistics and illuminating research. United in our mission, we aspire to craft a haven where unwavering support and boundless empathy illuminate the path towards recovery.

For more than 114 years, the DRMM has been an emblem of service and hope in our community. Each day, we stand tall in our commitment, serving more than 2,200 individuals and providing over 4,500 meals. Our community is vast and diverse, encompassing the mentally challenged, substance abusers, homeless, veterans, returning citizens, the unemployed, seniors, and youth. Our mission goes beyond basic needs—we strive to help each person reclaim their strength, to find their footing and step confidently into a brighter future.

Mental health issues are silent storms that do not discriminate, touching all facets of society and often resulting in homelessness, unemployment, or even criminal activity. In the face of these challenges, we have made it our moral duty at DRMM to extend relentless, empathetic support, reinforcing everyone’s rightful place within the societal tapestry.

Unraveling the threads of mental health problems uncovers a multifaceted web of causes. Genetic predispositions, imbalances in brain chemistry, and hormonal changes serve as biological catalysts that increase the risk of mental health disorders (Sullivan et al., 2018; Howard et al., 2019). Environmental influences like traumatic childhood experiences, socio-economic conditions, and social isolation are equally profound contributors (Felitti et al., 1998; Bor et al., 2014). Lifestyle and behavioral elements like substance misuse, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and sleep deprivation fan the flames of these mental health challenges (Kessler et al., 2009; McElroy et al., 2019).

Yet, as the dawn follows the darkest night, hope endures. Our collective empathy and dedication at DRMM can seed transformative initiatives. We’ve recently heralded a significant stride towards comprehensive care by launching a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). This clinic embodies the seamless integration of behavioral health care and primary care, addressing the community’s needs in a holistic manner.

We advocate for open, stigma-free dialogues about mental health in our communities, fostering acceptance, understanding, and camaraderie, thus replacing the shadow of stigma with a radiant aura of empathy. Prioritizing the accessibility and affordability of mental health services, we tirelessly champion affordable mental health care, enhanced insurance coverage, and the expansion of community mental health centers, aiming to deliver therapeutic care to every corner of society. Through structured living programs, we provide stability and support, crafting safe spaces for individuals navigating mental health conditions. Our rehabilitation programs aim to reconstruct lives piece by piece, offering emotional support, life skills, and vocational training.

As we navigate this significant juncture, we invite you to join us at DRMM in upholding the torches of empathy, understanding, and kindness. Let’s break the chains of stigma, champion effective treatments, and build inclusive communities. In doing so, we empower individuals to transcend their struggles, evolving from merely surviving to thriving as valued members of our society. Let’s stand unified, extending caring hands, and make every day a commitment to mental health. We have the power to make a difference, and the time to start is now. Embark on this journey with us, today!

Chad Audi President and CEO Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries

DRMM is a 114-year-old organization that gives much needed hope and help to the homeless, jobless, drug-addicted and afflicted of southeast Michigan. For more information, please visit https://drmm.org or call 313-993-4700.

Darlene Owens – Crain’s Detroit Business Notable Leader in Behavioral Health for 2023

Posted in: In the News, Latest News

May
22

Darlene Owens

Vice President of Treatment Programs Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries

Congratulations to DRMM’s VP of Programs Darlene Owens for being selected as one of Crain’s Detroit Business 2023 Notable Leaders in Behavioral Health!

These behavioral health experts are executives, allied health workers, physicians, social workers and other professionals who provide high-quality, whole-person care by collaborating with governments, health care agencies and other nonprofits. They work with integrated care teams to provide services to people with issues related to mental health, substance use and developmental disabilities. And they advocate within industry groups and local and state government and support their communities through volunteerism.

From Crain’s Detroit

“(Darlene Owens) has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in the behavioral health field. Her unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and promoting mental health awareness has made a significant impact in the lives of countless individuals,” said DRMM President and CEO Chad Audi, M.D.

Audi credits Owens’ leadership and “invaluable guidance” to DRMM’s ability to provide recovery housing, re-entry and substance use treatment.

Owens, who manages 65 employees and a $10 million budget, implemented regular evidence-based training to help staff deal with complex client needs and integrated substance use disorder and co-occurring disorder care with primary care providers. She also established the nonprofit’s East

Residential Alternative to Prison program that provides clients in the tri-county area with comprehensive treatment plans that include employment readiness and skills training along with medical care.

Moreover, Owens advocates for voting rights and volunteers at the Salvation Army. She is also a member of the National Notary Association and Wayne County’s Third Circuit Adult Drug Treatment Court team.

See the entire list of Crain’s Notable Leaders in Behavioral Health here.

Mitch Albom: Homeless issue — on subways, streets or parking lots — is vexing America

Posted in: In the News, Latest News

May
16

By Mitch Albom

Taken from the Detroit Free Press

May 14, 2023

How should we react to people who are homeless? It’s an issue facing more and more Americans, as the problem keeps swelling, particularly in our cities.

One reaction is to run from the word. Using “homeless,’’ or specifically “the homeless,” has been assailed by activists as insensitive. Alternative suggestions range from “the unhoused” to “the unsheltered” to “urban campers” or even “curbside community.”

Stop. The word is not the problem. And debating it is a diversion from the serious issue it represents, and how we are — or aren’t — responding to it.

One major response is fear. People see a homeless person, they cross the street. They avoid. If that person is screaming, muttering or threatening passersby, the fear increases.

Recently, in New York City, a homeless man with a long criminal record named Jordan Neely reportedly made threats to passengers in a subway car and talked about not caring if he died. One of the passengers, a former Marine, assumedly out of fear that the man would harm others, put Neely in a chokehold.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 05: Protesters gather for a "Justice for Jordan Neely" rally in Washington Square Park on May 05, 2023 in New York City. According to police and a witness account, Neely, who was 30 years old and residing in a shelter, died after being placed in a chokehold by a 24-year-old man on a subway train in New York City on Monday. Increasingly, activists are calling for the man who used the chokehold on Neely to be apprehended. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775974812 ORIG FILE ID: 1487850958

The former Marine has now been charged with manslaughter.

There’s nothing good about either of those outcomes.

Hard to find the right response

Another reaction to homelessness is compassion. This is the driving force behind the countless shelters, rehab programs, outreach groups and faith-based initiatives across the nation that help homeless people find their way to a better and healthier existence.

But even compassion has its controversy. Some cities, under the premise of being compassionate, have treated homelessness less as a problem than as a sacred existence, one that should be welcome anywhere and not interfered with.

Thus makeshift tents, open-air drug use, even urination or defecation is tolerated in areas that were previously devoid of such issues. Sometimes, these homeless encampments spring up near expensive homes that owners purchased in the hopes of living in a “nice” neighborhood. To complain however, is to be branded a bigot or a privileged ogre.

Cynicism is also a common response to homelessness. “These people don’t want to work” or “if you give them money, they’ll just buy drugs or alcohol.” Such sentiments make people walk past men sleeping in the street, or drive past women begging on a corner with a cardboard sign.

Jimmy Doom, actor, writer, and bartender gives money to his friend Anthony who experienced homelessness in Hamtramak on January 19, 2023. Jimmy formed a friendship with Anthony and helps him when he can.

Another reaction is anger. People are fed up. They don’t want their families constantly exposed to this plight. In Seattle, where homeless encampments are rampant, citizens have been complaining that their children, on the way to school, have to walk past drug addicts sometimes shooting up right in front of them.

Meanwhile at our southern border, a record number of migrants crossed last week with the expiration of Title 42, and, almost by definition, none of them have homes. Consequently, many are living in the streets of border cities like El Paso, Texas, leaving the permanent residents angry and resentful.

Ways to help

So what is the proper reaction to homelessness in America, which has been ticking up every year since 2016? Fear? Compassion? Cynicism? Anger?

How about we begin with “understanding”? I don’t mean understanding as a euphemism for embracing homelessness. I mean understanding as in who are these people, and what is causing their status?

Now, you have the right to ask “What do you know about it?” Well. I have been working with the homeless population since 2006, when I founded SAY Detroit in direct response to how we were treating homeless people during the Super Bowl. Our numerous charities have operated and funded programs for people in various states of homelessness for the last 17 years.

I also operate an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where most of our 60 children come from homeless backgrounds.

This work has not only exposed me to countless members of the homeless population, but to many great people who work with them. One is Chad Audi, the CEO and president of the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, whose programs take care of 2,200 homeless and substance-abuse victims every night in our city.

Sherylle Garner 56, of Detroit works as a case manager at the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Mack warming center on November 21, 20221.

So I asked Chad first to break down the homeless population, and how they got that way.

“I would estimate around 50% are dealing with mental health issues,” he said. “About 30% are homeless due to drug and alcohol abuse. And about 20% are homeless due to an economic setback.”

While there are, of course, crossovers, the easiest segment to help, Audi said, is the smallest one. Those who became homeless due to a job loss or a workplace issue often just need a stopgap to get back on their feet. A brief stretch in shelter. A retraining program.

The hardest group to help is the largest segment: those with mental health issues.

“I would break this group in two,” Audi said, “those with moderate issues who can function well if their medication is prescribed and taken, and those with severe issues who may require to be in institutions.”

Audi laments that the government does not invest nearly enough in the mental health area. Instead, he said, it tends to want to build housing and more housing.

But housing people who “are not ready to be homeowners” often fails, Audi said, and ultimately results with those people back in the street.

Getting to the root of the issue

Audi also confirms that there is a chunk of the homeless population that does not want help, no matter what is offered.

“The chronically homeless often won’t go anyplace where you have control or rules. They usually are dealing with some mental health issues, or they don’t want to be told they can’t use drugs or alcohol. They don’t want a structured environment.”

The challenge is to help those who are open to help, with programs that address the core problems.

For many years, I have attended The DRMM’s “graduation” ceremonies, where those who have completed treatment and training programs, often taking up to two years, are given diplomas and celebrated for the work they put in to get back on their feet.

Temporary housing enabled them to improve, and readied them for a job and independence.

Katie Oswald hands out sandwiches in the homeless encampment known as “The Zone” in Phoenix, AZ on May 8, 2023. She does it with thoughts of her son who had lived in “The Zone”.

But such programs take time and money. And willing participants. Not every homeless person fits that bill. People need to be honest about that. Just as we need to be honest that homelessness is not a one-size-fits-all issue. People become homeless for various reasons. And certain solutions makes sense in one case, but not in another.

Ultimately, a society’s response to the homeless issue will depend on its viewpoint. In California, where housing prices are astronomical, some have taken to opening parking lots all night to allow those who don’t have housing to live in their cars. Some folks think this is brilliant. Others, like Audi, believe it perpetuates the problem.

“We have to stand up for the truth. The truth is a homeless person usually has issues that made them homeless. No one is saying homeless people are bad people, or second-class citizens. But most do have issues.

“Our job is to change government policies so we can attract homeless citizens to programs where they can get help and get a safe place to go. Where they can get back on their feet.”

What’s your response to a homeless person? Hopefully, before cynicism, anger, violence or misplaced over-compassion, it starts with understanding who that person is sleeping in the street, or lying on a bench, or begging on a corner, and what brought them there.

If we’re not realistic about the problem, we can’t expect much from our solutions.

Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates with his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow him on Twitter @mitchalbom.

An Open Letter of Love and Solidarity on Mother’s Day

Posted in: From Dr. Chad Audi, Latest News, Stories

May
15

Dear Family and Friends,

As we gather to honor the women who have so profoundly shaped our lives on this Mother’s Day, let us take a moment to reflect on the incredible strength, dedication, and unconditional love that defines motherhood.

The journey of a mother is one of deep sacrifice, steadfast devotion, and a love that knows no bounds. Our mothers are our greatest protectors, our fiercest advocates, and our first teachers. They are the ones who cradle us through the night, guide us through life’s trials, and love us even when we falter.

However, as we rightfully celebrate the joy and beauty of motherhood, let us not forget the mothers who are facing immense struggles each day. Mothers who, through no fault of their own, have become victims of life’s harsh circumstances. Whether it be domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health issues, job loss, or the heart-wrenching loss of a loved one, these mothers carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Let’s not forget the widows, the grandmothers, the women who have endured the unimaginable pain of losing a child. These women, too, deserve our recognition, our compassion, and our unwavering support.

Today, we stand together as a community, committed to uplifting these mothers, to bringing a smile back to their faces, and reminding them of the strength and resilience they possess. They deserve the best, they deserve a chance to rebuild, and they deserve to be celebrated.

At Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, we are humbled to serve over 2200 individuals daily, two thirds of whom are women and children. We are here to listen, to understand, and to give unconditionally, without judgment or expectation.

This Mother’s Day let’s all come together to honor every mother, from every walk of life. Let’s show them the same selfless love and support they have shown us. Let’s give them the recognition they so richly deserve and let’s work tirelessly to ensure that all mothers, no matter their circumstances, can experience the joy of this special day.

Remember, it’s in our hands to make a difference. As we celebrate, let’s also extend our hands in service, ensuring every mother’s heart is filled with hope and every face graced with a smile.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible women out there. Your strength, your courage, and your love inspire us every day.

With love and respect,

Chad Audi

Dr. Chad Audi has been the president and CEO of America’s largest rescue mission, the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, since 2004. An expert in finance and leadership, he is credited with bringing all-round growth and expansion to the 114-year-old organization that gives much needed hope and help to the homeless, jobless, drug-addicted and afflicted of southeast Michigan. For more information, please visit https://drmm.org or call 313-993-4700.

DRMM Sponsors City of Inkster’s 2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt

The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries partnered with the Inkster Task Force, Unity in the Community, City of Inkster and Mayor Patrick Wimberly, the Inkster Police Department, and Wayne County Sheriff Raphael for Inkster’s 2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8, 2023 at the Booker T. Dozier Recreation Center. DRMM donated over 1000 Easter baskets and toys to the event which also included a marshmallow drop.

Thank you to our donors, community partners and staff for their support.

Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Receives $25,000 From SAY Detroit

DRMM received a $25,000 donation from our partner SAY Detroit raised from their 11th annual SAY Detroit Radiothon. They distributed $1.8 million to 34 local charities (including DRMM) at a ceremony held on April 4th.

“This is one of the best days each and every year,” Mitch Albom, co-founder said. “Helping other like-minded nonprofits in our region who help others is very meaningful and we know the money will be put to good use in their respective operations.”

Our own CEO Dr. Chad Audi started Say Detroit in partnership with Mitch Albom in 2006 and is a current board member. SAY Detroit as an organization that focuses on providing a better life for individuals who are or may have struggled with health, housing or food insecurity.

The donation will benefit Genesis House II Shelter for Women.

2023 Radiothon Distribution Charity Recipients:

The Avalon Village, $5,000;
Better Together, $50,000;
Bing Youth Institute, $5,000;
Boys Hope Girls Hope of Detroit, $7,500;
Building Better Men, $15,000;
Cass Community Social Services, $25,000;
Detroit Dream Scholars fund at the College for Creative Studies, $45,000;
COTS Detroit’s Bright Beginnings, $12,500;
D2N, $7,500;
Detroit Culture Youth Company, $5,000;
Detroit Hives, $7,000;
Detroit Recovery Project, $5,000;
Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries Genesis House II, $25,000;
*Faith Tabernacle Choir/A Hole in the Roof Foundation, $5,000;
*Full Count Foundation, $10,000;
Humble Design, $15,000;
Hugs from Heaven, $15,000;
*Jive Turkeys Detroit, $5,000;
LA SED, Inc., $15,000;
Michigan Veterans Foundation, $15,000;
Mi-Cycle, $50,000;
Mother Batie’s Kitchen/United Sisters of Charity, $10,000;
North Star Reach, $5,000;
Notes for Notes, $10,000;
Parker Village, $7,500;
*Peace Players Detroit, $5,000;
SASHA Center, $15,000;
SAY Detroit Family Health Clinic, $100,000;
SAY Detroit Play Center at Lipke Park, $800,000;
SAY Detroit Tomorrow Fund, $355,000;
*TeMaTe Institute for Black Dance and Culture, $2,500;
*Urban Innovators, $5,000;
*Volleyball Elite, $10,000;
*Wayne County Neighborhood Legal Services, $10,000;
Westside Cultural & Athletic Club, $12,000;
Working Homes/Working Families, $150,000.