Mental Health Association of Orange County

Founded in 1958, the Mental Health Association is a private non-profit community agency dedicated to improving the quality of life of Orange County residents impacted by mental illness through the provision of
direct services, education, advocacy and information dissemination.

MHA emphasizes wellness rather than illness. We believe that the diagnosed mental illness is but one element of the entire person. Though the illness may permeate most, if not all aspects of the
individual, strengths are retained and/or may have developed in response to the illness.

MHA believes that programs for the seriously and persistently mentally ill must be as multi-faceted as the people they assist. For this reason, we make every
attempt to offer a full continuum of care for individuals with a mental illness and ensure our services are accessible, culturally competent, and sensitive to
special needs.

Founded in 1958, the Mental Health Association of Orange County (MHA) is a private, non-profit community-based mental health and social services agency dedicated to improving the quality of life of Orange County residents impacted by mental illness through direct service, advocacy, education, and information dissemination. MHA provides services for adults 18 and over. All programs and services are provided within the context of the psychosocial rehabilitation philosophy. The primary goal of our programs is to eliminate functional deficits, and interpersonal and environmental barriers created by mental illness in an effort to restore the ability to live independently, socialize and manage life effectively. By addressing the practical and realistic elements of the individual’s needs, our programs create a supportive environment which encourages the individual to make positive choices and experience growth.

MHA believes that diagnosed mental illness is but one
element of the entire person. Though the
illness may permeate most, if not all, aspects of the individual, strengths are
retained and/or may have developed in response to the illness. Our client-centered approach views the
participation of the individual in his or her rehabilitation as an essential
element in the process. We believe the
individual should be responsible for the planning and implementation of
services, and therefore encourage the individual to make decisions about their
own lives and participation in our programs.

Programs for the seriously mentally-ill must be as
multi-faceted as the people they assist. For this reason, MHA makes every attempt to offer a full continuum of
care for individuals with a mental illness. From its humble beginnings in 1958 as a small, volunteer advocacy and referral agency, MHA has grown
into one of the largest Orange County-based non-profit mental health and social
services providers serving over 13,000 individuals per year, with 8 locations
throughout Orange County and providing a safety-net for poor and indigent
individuals in Orange County struggling with severe and persistent mental
illness, stigma and discrimination. If
an individual is to experience positive growth, we must meet them at the
intersection of their needs and abilities, which requires our services to be
accessible, culturally competent, and sensitive to special needs.

MHA’s Homeless Outreach Team provides services (including VA, shelter and income resources) to over 4,000 individuals experiencing homelessness each year. The Homeless Multi-Service Center serves over 1000 unduplicated chronically homeless, mentally-ill individuals each year. The Center, open 12 hours a day, Monday through Friday (including holidays), serving daily nutritious snacks, offering day shelter, showers, laundry facilities and comprehensive wrap-around services to program members. 

Goals:
Aggressively explore opportunities to expand and/or diversify services further to meet the needs of the clients and the community. 
Maintain a successful, stable financial base to fund adequate personnel and support systems and assure long-term viability of MHA. 

Advocate
for government policies and funding that support local mental health needs and
respond to MHA mission. Provide
specialized information and education to the community in a variety of formats
to increase awareness of mental health and psychosocial issues and reduce
stigma.

Increased private funding and private donations to support our Homeless Veterans Outreach and Rehabilitation Program.

Housewares and furniture for homeless veterans moving in to permanent housing. 

Capacity-building funding to purchase a cargo van for staff to use when moving formerly homeless individuals into permanent housing.

The Mental Health Association serves all of Orange County.

I have had the privilege of serving as the C.E.O. of the Mental Health Association for over 23 years. I brought to MHA many years of behavioral health hospital administration and over the years, our team has grown the agency to be one of the largest nonprofit social services serving low-income residents living with severe and persistent mental illness.

I am proud to have served on the Mental Health Association of Orange County’s (MHA) Board of Directors for 9 years now. As a former social worker and business owner in the Orange County community, it concerns me that unhoused individuals struggling with mental illness are often underserved. MHA provides much needed services to homeless and other low-income individuals in our community, promoting the highest level of independent functioning and supportive services as possible. Our MHA team of staff members is made up of dedicated and passionate people who believe in giving of themselves in service to others. I am honored to serve among these brave professionals, many of whom have lived experience themselves, in support of MHA’s worthy mission.

– Alysha Loumakis-Calderon, MHAOC Board President