The Family & Intercultural Resource Center is seeking to expand its peer support program for Spanish-speaking residents with two grant requests to Summit County officials. 

The nonprofit is seeking $28,000 to renew its program for county women, which provides both group and one-on-one behavioral health support. It is also requesting $11,000 to launch, for the first time, the same program for men. 

The programs aim to provide coaching through up to 10 one-on-one visits that are now by phone or virtual, but were previously in person. Contracted coaches help residents prioritize their needs, particularly around economic, housing, food and mental health support. 

“While many families in our community struggle with anxiety, depression and substance misuse, the rates of poor mental health rise significantly for low-income households,” the Strong Future Behavioral Health Committee wrote in a memo to county commissioners on behalf of the resource center. 

“This health disparity is especially poignant for Spanish speaking residents who are less likely to seek professional behavioral health support, face a severe shortage of bilingual, bicultural providers, and are far more likely to be uninsured,” the memo continues. 

Along with paying for the contracted coaches, the funding would go toward direct emergency payments to participating residents — such as for bus tickets, recreation center passes and student books — which would help alleviate their stress, according to the memo.

If approved by commissioners, funding would come from the county’s Strong Futures Fund, a voter-approved fund that pays for a slew of programs, including behavioral health.