The Knox County Mental Health 708 Board has awarded grant funding to 11 organizations, dishing out $1,178,064.
Knox County Board members heard a presentation regarding the grant funding for various projects at Wednesday night’s meeting.
708 Board Chair Greg “Chops” Bacon spoke to the county board reviewed some of the requirements organizations needed to meet in order to receive funds.
Bacon also says that there are different categories so that facility work can be funded by the 708 board. He said that many of those projects are matching grants.
Entities that received funds included Bridgeway and the Bridgeway Foundation, which received $312,188 in total. Projects listed in the reward are $50,000 for roof work, $187,609 for psychiatry, $6,000 for the Strengthening Families Program, and $68,579 for Adult Coordinated Care.
KCCDD received $361,652 in funding, which includes money for the general fund, roof work, and respite pilot program.
District 205 was awarded $137,409 for school mental health counselors. Bacon referenced the Lombard Middle School mental health counselor that the school district approved in 2017. Additionally, the Regional Office of Education 33 was awarded $143,000 in funds for coordinators and $4,000 for crisis response.
Other awardees include Triumph Services, Camp Big Sky, Rainbow Riders, Knights of Knox County, Knox County YMCA, Child Advocacy Center, and Achievement Unlimited.
Bacon added that many of these services rely on state aid, so if the state cuts funding they would fold. So, it makes the 708 Board’s work vital to helping keep these organizations running.
This is the second round of grants since the mental health board’s creation in 2017. Bacon says the entity has awarded around $2.5 million in that time.
