TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) — A Toledo mental health agency is marking one year of connecting people of all ages with resources and care.
Jeanita Hopings turned her dream of helping people with mental health issues into a reality one year ago.
“I’m so appreciative to give back. Somebody gave me a chance. I’m just happy to give somebody else one,” Hopings said.
She said she got the idea to open her own mental health agency after supporting her family on their mental health journey.
“I went to some groups with them, some alcohol addiction programs with them, and I didn’t like the way they were treated. So then I decided, okay, hey, I’m going to go to school and figure out how to help others,” Hopings said.
Services offered
Hopings now owns Helping Others Behavior Health Agency. It offers counseling, behavioral health assessments and treatment planning. It also runs a group home for girls.
“I have seven goddaughters. So then I decided I wanted a group home for little girls. I have a group home that holds 12 to 18 little girls with mental health issues,” Hopings said.
“Even when they get grown and leave the group home, they still gonna be a part of this family right here. And it’s just great to see that love going back both ways,” said Earl Hopings, father of Jeanita.
Family involvement
Hopings’ parents work alongside her to provide resources to clients and the girls at the group home.
“I’m giving them something that they’ve never experienced before. We was at Orlando Park, eating, we went Taco Bell, bought food and took it back to the bench. And you would have thought I had took them in Cedar Point. They were so excited,” said Debra Gibbons, group home manager and mother of Jeanita.
“We want them to know there’s somebody that… it ain’t the end. When you go through some things, go through some things in your family. Don’t give up,” Earl Hopings said.
New goal
Despite the organization’s success, Hopings has no plans to stop its work. She and her family actually have a new goal in mind.
“Right now, we’re trying to get a home for the boys. We’re trying to do a boys home. So it’s a lot of labor,” Gibbons said.
Hopings said the agency is always looking for donations, including clothes, hygiene products, volunteers and monetary donations. Donations can be dropped off at the Helping Others building near W. Sylvania Ave. and Talmadge Rd.
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