Community Action Coalition hosts community resource fair
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Ending the stigma, ending the shame, and ending the fear was the goal of the Community Resource Fair.
Columbus/Lowndes County Counseling Service Administrator Veronica Harrison knows many people suffer in silence from depression and anxiety, and they often do not know who to lean on for help.
This is why she said having resources available for those who struggle with mental health, was a must.
“We have different agencies that are available from Jackson to the Tennessee state line, who are providing in-patient services when needed,” said Harrison. “We have Girl Scouts here, and we have everything that will help promote good mental health as an overall thing.”
Business developer at Brentwood Behavioral Healthcare Lee Garner said he knows that society has created the narrative that people should not express their feelings.
Brentwood strives to make sure everyone who suffers from mental health issues doesn’t feel alone.
“Everyone has problems, so we do not want to stigmatize people and label them by their particular disorder,” said Garner. “We want to label them by what they are, which is human beings, that need help.”
Pines and Cady Hill Recovery Center Admissions and Marketing Coordinator Saless Jones spoke to people about the importance of being aware of suicide, and family violence.
“Every family has someone in their life that struggles with alcohol and drug addiction,” said Jones. “We cannot help someone if we do not open their mouth and say, “Hey I need help”, it is way more common than people realize. We just want to break the stigma of alcohol and drug addiction.”
Denise Brown is an outreach specialist with Community Counseling.
She says helping educate the community about the resources around them was a draw for her.
“We wanted to be a part of this event because it is a very informative event,” said Brown. “Many people are still learning about mental health and the resources that are available.”
The community resource fair was held at Southside Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus.
