South Peninsula Behavioral Health Service, Inc. is inviting the community to their 45th anniversary celebration. The event for the local nonprofit will begin with an open house on Sept. 12 from 12-3 p.m. at their Parkside Campus located at 3665 Ben Walters Lane, across the street from McDonald’s.
On Sept. 13, they will host a fundraiser and concert at Alice’s Champagne Palace starting at 7 p.m., featuring musical guests Rudy Multz, She Who’s Gone Mad and Jacques Longpre and Co.
The organization was started in 1976. Sponsored by the city initially, the organization became formally established as a nonprofit in 1979 in order to serve peninsula residents outside of Homer.
According to Development Director Ashley Moore, the organization was once one of the top five employers south of Ninilchik but was significantly impacted by COVID-19, leading to a reduction in services. They are now in a regrowth phase, offering services like therapy, counseling, job support and developmental delay services.
SPBHS was one of the first mental health facilities in Homer and several other businesses have been created with original roots here. For example, Sprout Family Services, a local organization that provides resources for children and families, was started with a program SPBHS once provided called Infant Learning, Moore said. “We’ve also helped a lot of people start their own private practice careers.”
Though the name is similar, SPBHS is not affiliated with South Peninsula Hospital.
One new program being offered is a peer support service where individuals with lived experiences with mental health and substance abuse recovery are now assisting clients who are going through their own phases of recovery.
The organization also currently helps provide training for other agencies within the state for counseling and other mental health assistance.
Employment support services helps clients find and secure competitive and includes features such as resume building to interview training. If clients need support contacting the employers if there is a conflict or grievance, they provide support in that realm as well.
The event taking place at Alice’s on Thursday is partially to help the organization with recent declines in funding once provided by the state. It’s also intended to be an information event to help provide the community with a better understanding of the services provided at the facility.
