As Mental Health Awareness Month continues in May, a Johnstown organization is working to make sure people know they do not have to face mental health struggles alone.<\/p>\n
The Peer Empowerment Network offers support, resources and a safe space for people dealing with mental health challenges across the area. Staff members say support can look different for different people \u2014 sometimes through groups and resources, and other times through simply having a place where people feel safe, welcome and not alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, for any point in your journey to know you’re not alone, it makes things a little bit easier, right?\u201d said Abigail Horner, an AmeriCorps member and staffer with the Peer Empowerment Network.<\/p>\n
The organization\u2019s Johnstown drop-in center offers mental health groups, art programs, social activities and connections to community services. Staff said even having someone to talk to can make a difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the biggest things here I see is people meeting someone that they’re like, I’m going through this hard time. And someone comes down and sits and has a cup of coffee with them. They’re like, I’ve been there too. And they form that connection and then it just blossoms from there,\u201d Horner said.<\/p>\n
Staff said the center serves people from across the Johnstown area, including neighborhoods impacted by recent violence. They said many community members are feeling anxious or afraid, and they hope the space can offer comfort and stability.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are, we’re experiencing some really trying times here in Johnstown. But that doesn’t mean that kindness and, and joyful things can\u2019t happen,\u201d said Melissa Joseph, director of the Consumer Family Satisfaction Team. \u201cWe’re not going anywhere just because things are getting scary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Support can also come through community events, including a Memorial Day picnic held this week, staff said. The center also has a rescue cat that staff said often comforts people when they first walk through the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople who will be coming in, there’s some folks who come in are very anxious about coming in. It’s a new place. They’ll have a seat. She will come over and she will just love all over you,\u201d Joseph said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just here to help you feel loved and supported and you’re not alone. You’re not alone,\u201d Joseph said.<\/p>\n
The Peer Empowerment Network drop-in center is located at 514 Somerset St. in Johnstown. The organization offers different groups, activities and services throughout the week. You can find the schedule of events on their Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is also available through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Mental Health Awareness Month continues in May, a Johnstown organization is working to make sure people know…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":464476,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[163,85,46,522,523],"class_list":["post-464475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=464475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/464476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=464475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=464475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=464475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}