Mental health board plans group home

The Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wyandot Counties is expanding services and options for children in Sandusky County experiencing a mental health crisis. Mircea Handru, executive director of the board, said federal grant funding received by the MHRSB is providing the seed money to open a seven-bed mental health group home in Fremont, which will house children from Sandusky County. "Our goal is to bring the children who are in the custody of the county back locally," Handru said. Currently, these youth are housed in other group home settings throughout Ohio and in other states, which runs between $500 and $1,500 per day per child for care. By opening a local care home, Handru said the board hopes to "provide a higher quality of care and reduce the cost" for the mental health services each child needs. "It's a huge initiative," he said. The home is slated to open later this spring. The children who will be served by the home "are very complicated cases" who "are so ill there is no foster home or kinship family willing to house them," according to Handru. Care plans will involve multi-agency collaborations with local entities, and the time of residence will vary per child depending on their progress. The current $1.5 million funding for the project covers the current and next fiscal years. The board plans to apply for a renewal of funds and seek other funding opportunities as the current grant window closes. Additional grant funding will be more likely "if we show success," Handru noted. He added that the board is witnessing a general increase in mental illness in both children and adults, and the MHRSB's main focus is providing treatment, crisis care and housing for those suffering from mental health issues. "It's our number one priority for children and adults," Handru said. He emphasized that additional funding and local resources are needed to better address the mental health crisis in the community. Handru also said the board is excited about the upcoming merger with the Huron County Board of Mental Health and Addiction Services, which will be effective July 1. The change marks the second such merger in five years, he said, "which is not something that normally happens."