Collaboration brings mental health treatment to streets

UNSPLASH

Wellness Without Walls, a psychiatry program sponsored by A Home For All, offers mental health treatment for unhoused people in Mecklenburg County.

Mental health treatment is going into Mecklenburg County’s streets.

Wellness Without Walls, a pilot psychiatry program sponsored by A Home For All, launched last week to increase access to care people may not  seek or get otherwise. Gifts totaling $200,000 from SteelFab and Duke Energy to street outreach partners Roof Above and Hearts for the Invisible, who will work with Atrium Health and Alliance Health. Another $100,000 from The Merancas Foundation to MedAssist supports medication management for patients and $3,000 from Molina Healthcare, along with supplies.

Street psychiatry programs have spread across the U.S. in recent years, with cities often collaboratin with hospitals, community outreach initiatives and shelters. Started in Pittsburgh in 1992, street medicine has evolved nationally and has become an initiative that provides communities and clinicians with expert training, guidance and support to develop and grow their street medicine programs. 

"Street psychiatry is not just a service, it is a lifeline, said Breanna McGowan, outreach clinical director at Hearts for the Invisible. … “We have seen firsthand how meeting people where they are, with compassion and clinical care, transforms lives. This initiative is deeply personal to us. It is about restoring dignity, building trust, and ensuring that those too often forgotten receive the mental health support they deserve. Just as importantly, it is about connecting individuals to vital resources such as housing, healthcare, and community support that provide the stability needed for long term healing and hope." 

Said O’Shauna Hunter, director of housing solutions at United Way of Greater Charlotte: “Wellness Without Walls is a powerful example of what happens when the community leads the way. United Way worked hand in hand with community voices and cross sector partners to design this pilot, an innovative approach that not only addresses urgent needs but also showcases the true power of our community to create solutions that make a lasting impact.” 

Wellness Without Walls has been in development over the last year when United Way of Greater Charlotte brought together private and public partners to address mental health disorders among the unsheltered and homeless. The pilot program was designed through community collaboration to overcome barriers to accessing treatment through traditional services at brick-and-mortar buildings. The collaboration between street outreach organizations and community-based housing initiatives aims to reduce those barriers and improve engagement with behavioral health services.

An Atrium Health psychiatrist and registered nurse will be in the community two days a week for the first year of the program. These positions are funded by Alliance Health, who will also participate in workflow development related to addressing unmet social needs and coordinating care with community organizations that provide other behavioral health services.

“We believe every person deserves compassionate, high-quality care – no matter their circumstances,” said Kate Rising, vice president and facility executive at Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte. “This partnership reflects our deep commitment to reaching members of our unsheltered community before they face a health crisis. By meeting people where they are, we’re creating opportunities to improve health and well-being in meaningful, lasting ways.” 

Wellness Without Walls targets homeless people age 18 and older with a diagnosed or undiagnosed behavioral health issue. The goal is treating 20 unique patients per month over the first year, the program aims to lower emergency department utilization and ensure clients positively exit unsheltered homelessness. 

“Wellness Without Walls, our new street psychiatry program, is really innovative,” said Malia Suhren, A Roof Above’s director of unsheltered housing navigation. “In Charlotte, we have such great healthcare partners who collaborate with us on a regular basis. It's important for us to be adaptive in our solutions. So, for our healthcare partners to be flexible and adapt this program to serve the needs of our neighbors is a huge and tremendous feat. It will be exciting to see new relationships grow and people receive life-changing treatment.”

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