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ALTON - Sacred Spaces of C.A.R.E. has unveiled their new Care Collective to help more community members receive the mental health support they need.
As an organization, Sacred Spaces of C.A.R.E. works to connect people with resources throughout the Riverbend community. Megan Tyler, director of Sacred Spaces, explained that the Care Collective further removes the barriers to care that many people experience.
“We’re very much that resource hub of just trying to educate and advocate in the community,” Tyler said. “We have found our niche that we’re wanting to stick within, and that’s kind of that navigational piece and kind of that resource hub. The goal all along was to never really become a provider of services but to be that linkage. Now, when we have those supports in place through various other organizations, it’s perfect.”
When people contact Sacred Spaces, they’re often in what Tyler describes as an “acute crisis.” Those with more significant needs, such as suicidality or psychosis, are often referred to Centerstone or Chestnut, local organizations that provide in-patient or intensive out-patient services.
However, Tyler said, Sacred Spaces wants to help everybody, not just those who are in acute crisis. The Care Collective aims to help people find local therapists and counseling services through private practices like Calm Waters Counseling and Resource Center, Lovejoy Legacy Counseling and Wellness, and Luminous Life Coaching. Sacred Spaces can also help people connect with organizations like Metro East Every Survivor Counts, Refuge, and The Community Reach.
Tyler explained that rather than going through several phone calls trying to determine which practices and organizations will work with you, the Care Collective allows people to make one phone call — to Sacred Spaces — and then be connected to the right organization for them.
“We’re trying to help people not go through ten or 12 different calls, but be able to contact us,” she said. “We have formed this collective where we know immediately, is there a waitlist there? Can they take this person? Can they address this person’s needs? Is the insurance accepted? Our goal for Sacred all along has been to reduce barriers. A barrier is anything that is potentially preventing someone from getting help, whether it’s finances, transportation, but one barrier is just navigating the systems and making it happen.”
Tyler clarified that Sacred Spaces of C.A.R.E. can’t navigate these systems in your place, but they can give you a starting point and provide support as you make the phone calls and decisions that are right for you. They also have background knowledge about these organizations that can make it easier for you to connect with them.
“A lot of people describe us as a one-stop shop. Come here first. Here’s your first step,” Tyler explained. “And then we’re going to be able to know what kind of avenues to navigate you towards.”
In addition to the Care Collective, Sacred Spaces of C.A.R.E. is partnering with Foster’s Light in the Dark to organize an Overdose Awareness Day event on Aug. 31, 2024. They will also host a Wellness Gathering on Aug. 24, 2024, at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church. Both events will bring out local organizations so community members can connect with these resources.
It’s important to Tyler that Sacred Spaces is involved in these community outreach events. She hopes to collaborate with more organizations in the future, and she encourages people to celebrate their recovery at the Overdose Awareness event and Wellness Gathering. Sacred Spaces of C.A.R.E. is as much about spreading hope as they are about getting help.
“Doing a street outreach approach and going to the need is what Sacred is all about, and that’s what’s different about this,” Tyler added. “The best way we can honor those that we’ve lost is by living. Being alive with what we have left and living life to the fullest and being grateful, and that’s the message we give in recovery.”
For more information about Sacred Spaces of C.A.R.E., their work and their mission, visit their official website at SacredSpacesOfCARE.org or their Facebook page.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
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