Take a look at our current annual report to learn more about Pioneer’s key activities, performance and accomplishments between January 1 and December 31, 2011.

• Nearly 20% of U.S. adults experienced some type of mental illness
• Approximately 11 million U.S. adults had a serious mental illness
• More than 25% of adults with a serious mental illness had co-occurring substance dependence or abuse issues
• Approximately 1 in 8 U.S. adults received some type of mental health treatment (e.g. outpatient, inpatient or prescription medication)

Source: Mental Health, United States, 2010. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2012.

Mental Health America has developed two themes for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Month to help foster greater understanding and support for people living with a mental health condition and the effects of trauma:

Do More for 1 in 4 is a call to action to help the 1 in 4 American adults who live with a diagnosable, treatable mental health condition and the fact that they can go on to live full and productive lives. Download the Do More For 1in4 Toolkit .

The second theme, Healing Trauma’s Invisible Wounds, focuses on the impact of traumatic events on individuals and communities.  It centers around asking the person-based question: “What happened to you?” Download the Healing Trauma’s Invisible Wounds Toolkit

The Affordable Housing Management Association of Washington (AHMA) and the Washington State Council for Affordable & Rural Housing (CARH) represent property managers, owners, professional services firms and product providers in the affordable housing industry. Over 40,000 affordable housing units, dedicated to low-income, disabled and elderly residents, are represented by AHMA and CARH.

Since opening as a single halfway house in November 1963, Pioneer Human Services has grown and evolved to meet the ever-increasing needs of its customers and communities. Pioneer offers a broad range of programs that help people who are re-entering society from prison or jail and those who are overcoming chemical addiction and mental illness. They uniquely integrate housing, employment, training, reentry and treatment services. Pioneer proudly provides people with a chance for change, so they in turn can contribute to strengthening our communities.

“The members of our associations will be able to take advantage of the array of construction and labor services offered by Pioneer,” noted Joe Diehl, Executive Director of AHMA and CARH. “This would include both commercial and residential rehabs, remodels, unit turns, repairs and pest detection and treatment preparation services – including bed bug K-9 inspections.” Pioneer can provide plumbing assistance, drywall, finish work, painting, carpet cleaning, moving/hauling, hording and worksite cleanup.  Workers are fully bonded and closely supervised.

Under the joint venture agreement, Pioneer will support the work of the associations and take an active role in the conventions and training events staged by AHMA and CARH. “It is truly a win-win for our organizations, and the AHMA/CARH members,” Joe noted.  This is the second joint venture agreement entered into by both associations. In 2006, AHMA and CARH created the Insurance Program for Association Housing (IPAH), which continues to provide a wide array of property and liability coverage to members and the industry. The program is administered by Propel Insurance, based in Tacoma, WA.

During Alcohol Awareness Month, there are numerous outreach and education efforts in communities across the country to share information about alcohol and alcoholism as a chronic, progressive disease, fatal if untreated, and genetically predisposed.  Alcoholism is a family disease, it is treat­able, and people do recover.

To raise your personal awareness of alcohol use, visit the National Alcohol Screening Day website to conduct a quick, anonymous self-assessment of  drinking behaviors and possible related problems, including depression.  Additional online screening tools, a directory of local screening facilities and other helpful articles and resources can be found on the Screening for Mental Health website.

Standing at the front of a classroom Thursday, instructor Terry Hegel walked six Franklin High School students through rounding off the corners of a rectangle using the SolidWorks design program.

“If it’s square, it’s going to be weak,” Hegel explained. “And planes flex.”

As it happens, the students were designing keychain fobs. But they were learning skills and principles that translate directly into building aircraft.

And they were learning them in a highly specialized semi trailer.

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Seattle-based nonprofit Pioneer Human Services says it has bought the Carlyle Care Center downtown from the city of Spokane for $3.2 million and plans to add four living units to the building that provides housing for low-income, mentally ill residents.

The Spokane City Council approved the sale last month, with the condition that it continues to house low-income residents.

“That’s fine with us,” Marla Gese, Pioneer’s vice president of real estate, says of the restriction. “That’s what we do.”

The Carlyle center provides assisted-living services chiefly for low-income residents with mental illness.

“We will be adding (military) veteran residents to the Carlyle,” Gese says.

Pioneer recently was awarded a federal contract that funds housing services for 10 veterans, she says. The contract will target homeless veterans and veterans waiting for the opportunity to enter a program or residential facility that can support them, she says.

The city of Spokane bought the seven-story structure, at 206 S. Post, in 2006 to halt a foreclosure action and preserve low-income housing. The city has sought a buyer to take it over since then.

Also last month, in a related action, the Washington State Housing Finance Commission approved $3.72 million in bond funding to enable Pioneer to refinance a conventional loan on the Carlyle property and to pay for the planned improvements there.

Pioneer plans to renovate vacant ground-floor commercial space, converting it to new residential units that will be similar to its current residential units. The new units will add seven or eight more beds to the facility, Gese says.

The Carlyle Care Center currently has 72 units and is licensed to serve 139 people, she says.

“We’ll also try to provide a covered smoking area that will be less visible from the street,” Gese says.

Bernardo Wills Architects PC, of Spokane, designed the project. Pioneer hasn’t selected a contractor or applied for a building permit for the project yet, Gese says.

“We’re still finalizing plans,” she says. “We need to work with the health department to make sure we meet appropriate requirements with the design.”

Gese says Pioneer Human Services hopes to complete the project by the end of July.

In the Spokane area, Pioneer owns and operates Pioneer Victory House, a 36-bed, transitional housing facility for veterans, at 925 W. Broadway, and Pioneer Pathway House, which provides 39 units of low-income, permanent housing, at 222 S. Howard. The nonprofit also owns and operates Pioneer Center East, a 48-bed facility that provides treatment for chronic chemically dependent residents.

In addition, Pioneer operates two state-owned work-release facilities here: the 55-bed Eleanor Chase House for women leaving prison, at 427 W. Seventh, and the 80-bed Brownstone for adult males, at 223 S. Browne.

“I got to the point where even when I tried to self-medicate, it didn’t work,” Garcia said.

So in January, he tried to get himself into a secure treatment center where he could work on his addiction.

Now, in December, he’s finally preparing to enter Pioneer Center North, a locked recovery center more than 70 miles from Seattle.

After a long, winding road through multiple hospitals, detoxification clinics and treatment centers, Garcia said he hoped this place would be his solution.

“At this point I need a lot of structure, and I need somewhere safe to be,” he said.

Garcia said he could easily walk out of the other clinics he visited around Seattle. Soon he would be drinking again.

He said that in rural Skagit County, at a campus far from the city, he will be able to stick it out.

But getting there took him nine months. He navigated the nearly crippled chemical dependency system in Western Washington only to find a system broken by diminishing resources.

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