How do individuals, families, and communities benefit from services funded by the levy?   

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Levy funds programs that give our younger generations the best start in life with suicide and substance abuse prevention programing and support for children and families. Levy funds allowed for more than 500 individual mental health screenings of at-risk students enrolled in Portage County schools, with 43% of those students continuing in behavioral health treatment.

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The levy funds programs aimed to keep our community safer by treating drug and alcohol issues, preventing suicide, and providing specialized training and consultation for police on how to work with people in crisis. 

 

Services help workers & businesses by helping unemployed people with mental illness find and keep employment. Employees and families benefit, businesses maintain a productive workforce, and communities prosper.

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​Services for Portage County Residents provided by levy funds include:

• Treatment for children, families, and individuals with mental health issues, particularly with trauma, and residential treatment for children.

• 24 hour crisis helplines, walk-in crisis services, and a crisis stabilization unit. There were more than 32,000 contacts last year.

• Support to Portage County school districts to provide direct services to children.

• Alcohol and drug prevention such as the “Too Good for Drugs” program taught in the Portage County schools. 

• Suicide Prevention Programming and support for families suffering loss. 

• Treatment for persons with opioid and other addictions including residential treatment & recovery housing.

• Crisis Intervention Team training for Portage County police departments.

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Levies provide critical funding that increases access to treatment services beyond limited state and federal funding. 69% of the Board’s funding for critical services is generated through our local property tax levies. Local levies also fund important services that the state and federal government do not fund, such as prevention and education.