The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded the funding, the office of U.S. Rep. John Katko (R–Camillus) said in a Wednesday news release.
Katko joined Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon to make the announcement Wednesday morning.
With this new award, the Onondaga County Department of Children and Family Services will implement the OnCare “transition age youth” system of care.
OnCare is a community initiative that “improves outcomes for Onondaga County children and youth (ages 5 to 21) with significant behavioral and emotional challenges,” per its website.
Specifically, this programming will enable Onondaga County to support the healthy transition of high-risk youth ages 16 to 21 into adulthood, tailoring mental health and related services to meet specific needs, and “developing a bridge” from the children’s mental-health system to the adult system.
With “significantly” high rates of concentrated poverty in the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County, the project will work to support at-risk youth, including those aging out of foster care, facing homelessness, and struggling with substance abuse.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com