According to the U.S. Surgeon General, 1 in 10 children and adolescents suffer from mental illness severe enough to cause some level of impairment. However, only 1 in 5 receives necessary treatment. Left untreated, children's mental health disorders can lead to problems at home, trouble in school, substance abuse, and even suicide. In Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties, we know that many children are “falling through the cracks.” Our goal is to put children first and ensure that the necessary supports - through appropriate levels of funding for treatment and recovery supports to state legislation - are available for children.
	The US ranks first among all industrialized nations in violent death rates. Violence has a stronghold on our nation. Day after day we see reports of children, families, schools, even whole communities living in fear because of violent attacks. Beyond the obvious physical impact of violence, the mental health consequences, like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, can be profound and long term. Many complex factors contribute to the growing prevalence of violence in our nation. Societal problems including poverty, unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, and frequent exposure to violence in the home and community are among the causal factors cited by experts. In Charlotte and its surrounding areas, we realize that our fast-paced growth puts local families and communities at-risk for dramatically increased occurrence of violent crime, and the trauma associated with it. In 2006, the City of Charlotte completed a Quality of Life study, ranking communities within the city in three categories: challenged, transitioning, and stable. Not only does the MHA work within two of the City of Charlotte’s “challenged” neighborhoods to enhance social supports and reduce crime, but we also work towards protecting the mentally ill from being victims of violent crimes.
	Refugees are individuals fleeing from persecution in their homelands who have been designated for resettlement elsewhere in the world. Each year, in consultation with Congress, the US government allows up to 70,000 refugees to be admitted to the US. Increasingly, more are being resettled in North Carolina and primarily in Charlotte/Mecklenburg. Individuals and families from South and Central America, Vietnam, Somalia, Russia, Myanmar, and other countries are entering Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties because of personal safety and job opportunities. Being displaced from their country, these persons are at high risk for chronic mental health disorders because of the multiple stressors they experience before, during, and after their flight. Many children of refugee families enter our local schools without basic language skills or an understanding of cultural differences. Teachers, school administrators, and personnel deal with the language and cultural barriers day-to-day, but also realize that many of these children are experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because of the extreme circumstances they encountered when leaving their homeland or arriving in the United States. The MHA seeks to promote and advocate for mental health services to be culturally competent – to all persons in need of those services, regardless of age, race, sex, or origin.
	Persons living with a severe and persistent mental illness, and without family or natural supports, are at high-risk for becoming homeless. In fact, nearly one-third of all homeless individuals have mental illnesses. Housing for mental health consumers, such as group homes, supportive housing and scattered site apartments, are in high demand. MHA, in cooperation with MHA-North Carolina, Mecklenburg County Area Mental Health, the North Carolina General Assembly and direct housing service providers in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties have developed housing for nearly 100 individuals through funding provided by the US Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Today, the MHA advocates for additional funding and increased collaborations to support persons living with a mental illness.
	As military personnel leave to engage in combat during the war in Iraq, children and families are left behind. The mental anguish of watching a loved one leave and the uncertainty of his/her outcome, fosters anxieties that have very real consequences. When our veterans of war return home, some harbor thoughts of suicide or live with nightmares of their time spent during combat and in a foreign country, and many experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. More than one in four U.S. troops have come home from combat with health problems that require medical or mental health treatment, according to the Pentagon's first detailed screening of service members leaving a war zone. According to a report compiled by the Status of Veterans Initiative of Mecklenburg County, there are over 54,000 veterans living here. Mecklenburg county is ranked 1st in the state in veteran population. The MHA, in partnership with the local North Carolina National Guard Unit, North Carolina Air National Guard Unit, and assorted health and human services leaders, helped to establish the Community Area Resource Team (CART) to address the mental health and human services needs of military personnel and their families as well as veterans.

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