Exploring the mental health needs of today’s Black men: A resource guide in Sacramento

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer

If you, or someone you know, has mental health concerns and needs help or wants to be involved in finding community solutions, Senior Staff Writer Genoa Barrow has compiled a brief list of resources. She will continue to update the list throughout her special series, “Head Space: Exploring the Mental Health Needs of Today’s Black Men.”

Born out of the 2018 killing of Stephon Clark by Sacramento police officers, Safe Black Space provides a chance for Black people to deal with rage, shock, fear, and sadness.  Services  community healing circles designed to address emotional and psychological stress and negative impact of experiences of racism, alienation, and isolation; emotional emancipation circles, a series of sessions in which participants learn emotional wellness skills; and learn how to replace destructive negative thoughts caused by racism with ones that are positive, constructive, and healing. For more info and upcoming events, visit  www.safeblackspace.org

The Living Room is a part of the African American Suicide Prevention Project (AASPP), which was created after suicide risk and crisis intervention were identified as a high priority. The program is based in North Highlands and funded through the Sacramento County Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). AASPP and the Living Room provide cultural and ethnic specific strategies for suicide prevention. Services include workshops, classes for youth ages 18 and under, support groups and individual counseling. Call (916) 234-0178 M-F 3:00-9:00 p.m. or visit aassp-thelivingroom.org,

MH (Mental Health) First Sacramento, a project of Anti Police-Terror Project, provides non-police response to mental health crises. The goal of MH First is to respond to mental health crises including, but not limited to, psychiatric emergencies, substance use support, and domestic violence safety planning. Currently providing phone only support at (916) 670-4062 Friday-Sunday from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m..

NAMI Sacramento, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is a self-help, volunteer support and advocacy organization of consumers, family and friends of people with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other anxiety disorders. Resources include support groups, community meetings and legal help. For more, call the non-crisis resource helpline Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: (916) 890-5467;  CalHOPE & NAMI Sacramento TAY Warmline M-(Ages 16 – 25)  Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: ( 916) 500-7277; or the crisis line at 988. Visit Namisacramento.org.

CalVoices.org/SacMap: Website offers a list of mental health programs and services available to adults in Sacramento County who are over the age of 18. Most services listed have few, if any, eligibility requirements, do not require insurance, and are free or low cost. The list includes those in Sacramento County that are funded by the Division of Behavioral Health Services as well as state and national resources. 

The Sierra Health Foundation’s Community Responsive Wellness Program connects youth, families and communities with the care and resources they need to cope and thrive. This collaboration of community stakeholders provides access to culturally responsive resources addressing challenges related to violence and mental illness with the goal of helping people develop positive and sustainable approaches to wellness. Visit shfcenter.org.

The Gardens is a community organization in South Sacramento that seeks to promote healthy lives through education, prevention, intervention, compassion and understanding. Services include counseling, support groups, workshops, referrals to mental health services, outreach activities, case management, emergency food/clothing closet, housing advocacy, and transitional housing services for male veterans. For more, call the helpline at (916) 410-6888 or visit http://thegardensfamily.org.

The California Health & Human Services Agency’s website offers a number of mental health resources and hotlines focused on young people, including new digital apps. https://www.chhs.ca.gov/youthresources/

In addition to support groups for men and women, Soul Space, which falls under the umbrella of ONTRACK Program Resources, offers sessions like “Healing Our Community;” “Healing Ourselves: Understanding African American Health and Wellness;” “Racism: Managing Anger, Grief and Loss;” Get Off The Struggle Bus and on the Road to Financial Liberation;” and “Filling My Tank: An Empowerment Series on “Building Healthy Relationships with Self and Others.: https://ontrackconsulting.org/services-projects/soul-space/

The non-profit organization, Mental Health California, presents Brother Be Well, a multimedia platform for boys and men of color blending awareness, innovation, education, and healing pathways to reduce disparities and improve health and mental wellness.  For more information, visit brotherbewell.com. Additionally, in partnership with the Sierra Health Foundation’s My Brother’s Keeper Sacramento program, Brother Be Well developed an interactive component that seeks to help remove barriers to accessing mental health supports, increase the cultural responsiveness of mental health services for youth of color, and increase their ability to navigate the healthcare system, www.mentalhealthca.org/mbk-sacramento.

While the California Black Women’s Health Project focuses on Black women and mental health, team members haven’t forgotten the brothas. Through Anti-Violence Ventures, they’re engaging Black men and boys and inviting them to talk about violence prevention in their lives, homes and communities. For more information, visit www.cabwhp.org/violence-prevention.html or antiviolenceventures.org

This article is part of the Senior Staff Writer Genoa Barrow’s special series, “Head Space: Exploring The Mental Health Needs of Today’s Black Men.” The project is being supported by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism and is part of “Healing California,” a yearlong reporting Ethnic Media Collaborative venture with print, online and broadcast outlets across California. The Sacramento OBSERVER is among the collaborative’s inaugural participants.

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