EVANSVILLE — The center planned to open at United Caring Services that would help residents dealing with mental health or substance abuse issues received a financial boost in December – but not in the amount its proponents hoped for.
The UCS Diversion Center, which will be an alternative option to emergency rooms and the Vanderburgh County jail for people in need of help, was one of three local organizations up for American Rescue Plan money Vanderburgh County received in 2021 from the Biden Administration.
SWIRCA & More, EasterSeals Southwestern Indiana and the Diversion Center, sought $500,000 each in the plan Vanderburgh County commissioners sent to county council.
Instead, after failing to make a decision about the money for several months, Vanderburgh County Council members voted unanimously to slash those requests to $300,000 each.
Now the Diversion Center has to make some hard choices, like how many days a week to be open.
Stephanie Weiner, president of the UCS board of directors, said they need to decide whether to open three days a week for three years or four days a week for two-and-a-half years. Ultimately they want four days a week for a full three years.
“We still need the other $200,000,” she said.
A long wait for money
Supporters of the Diversion Center, and the other nonprofits up for ARP money, had a long wait to know what they’d receive.
The motion from county council president John Montrastelle for $300,000 came in December. The recommendation on how to use ARP money came from the commissioners in June.
Council heard impassioned comment from multiple supporters of the Diversion Center in November. At that time, there was concern about how long the approval process was taking. County council was criticized for its lack of a vote on money meant to help the center open.
UCS has $300,000 of ARP money for operating the Diversion Center approved by the Evansville City Council. The city has also publicly committed to approving another $300,000 in 2023.
Supporters, including former UCS director Jason Emmerson, told county councilors the money they approved would be the difference maker in how many days, and years, the center could operate.
During discussion before the vote in December, county councilor Stephanie Terry asked if other councilors understood how the decision to approve less money impacted the center overall.
“I think from their package it will impact them a bit,” Montrastelle said. “They were actually banking on $500,000.”
Auditor Brian Gerth then said he believed the center was already open three days a week, and the funding from commissioners would help them open for another day of the week. Councilor Jill Hahn agreed, and said she had that in her notes.
But that isn’t accurate. The center has yet to open.
“We couldn’t hire until we knew what we were hiring for,” Weiner told the Courier & Press. “So even though we now have the assurance of some monies, and we’re looking for an executive director, it’s going to be the first of the year before we really gear up and can hire.”
But they will hire, Weiner said. They’re committed to opening in 2023. And they’re working to find funding to be open the full four days, for three years.
“We’re going to keep knocking at the door,” she said. “Every door we can find.”
That could even include the same pot of money, the county’s ARP dollars, that they were approved for this time.
After EasterSeals, UCS and SWIRCA received $200,000 less than they requested, the county will have $600,000 of ARP money just sitting in its coffers. County commissioners could come forward with a new request that includes funding for those same organizations.
Weiner said UCS was also encouraged to apply for grant money from the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership. The money they would be eligible for would be ARP dollars E-REP is administering for the county. Council approved $60,000 to pay E-REP for its work, but has not yet voted on the actual money that would go to the nonprofits.
UCS is dependent on the “support and goodwill of the community,” Weiner said, whether that be the government, corporations or individuals.
“Fortunately or unfortunately we’re going to keep knocking on doors as long as we exist,” she said.
Opening in 2023
The Diversion Center is a long-time coming, Weiner said. But she said that isn’t so strange for an idea that is new and “kind of out-of-the-box.”
“I think it’s a very positive (project), both for the people we will serve and for the taxpayer,” she said. “Not always do those two things come together.”
To open they’ll need a full staff in place. Aside from an executive director for both UCS and the Diversion Center, the center will have a staff including case mangers and EMTs.
“To say it’s a pilot project is a little bit of an understatement, but we have to prove our worth,” Weiner said. “We think this is going to be an ongoing advantage to the community. Given that, in the two-and-a-half to three years, we will collect the kind of data that proves that, so that we can find further funding.”
Other American Rescue Plan requests approved in December are:
• Southern Indiana Mentoring Academy - $50,000
• Health Department premium pay $58,000
• Evansville Regional Economic Partnership - $60,000 to act as as grant administrator for ARP money available to Vanderburgh County non-profits
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