Safe Harbor Behavioral Health (SHBH), a human service agency specializing in mental health, has grown significantly since its founding in 1993, when it began with a small budget and three staff in Erie. With the support of the County Department of Human Resources (Erie County MHMR) and a very generous community, the nonprofit organization, headquartered at 1330 West 26th Street, today offers a wide array of mental health services to more than 4,000 residents — children and adults — in the region.
“We are focused on providing ambulatory outpatient and crisis care that is responsive to consumer needs and delivered in a timely manner. There are a number of quality providers in the community, and we work with many of them daily, to ensure good coordination of services,” explains President and CEO Jon Evans, who has more than 30 years of experience in the mental health field. “The earlier we can provide care, the better the outcomes.”
This year, the agency is founding SAFELine, the frst 24/7, 365-days-a-year crisis hotline for area students. The line will provide a forum for students who are experiencing bullying, or any other difficulty, to talk with a crisis clinician anytime, day or night. In addition, Safe Harbor is opening a new Crisis Residential Center on West 12th Street near the Regional Cancer Center in Millcreek Township, and expects the $1.1-million renovation to be near completion in early 2011.
It’s an exciting time for Safe Harbor, according to agency administrators and Board members who say these two projects are a refection of the growing need for mental health services across the country.
Read the entire feature story in the January 2011 edition of the Business Magazine.
