Stamford Launches New Mental Health Resources Webpage

STAMFORD, CT — Mayor Caroline Simmons announced on Thursday that Stamford has launched a new mental health resource webpage on the city's website.

The page has a dedicated list of resources highlighting community nonprofits and organizations that help those suffering from a range of mental health and addiction issues.

The new page can be viewed here.

"Too often, issues related to mental health and substance abuse are overlooked and resources are not readily accessible to those who need them," Simmons said in a news release. "This problem has only been exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My administration is prioritizing expanding resources for mental health support in our community and the creation of this page on our city’s website is the first of many steps we look forward to taking to bringing awareness and tackling this issue."

The creation of a centralized location for mental health resources was a recommendation from Simmons' Public Health Transition Policy Committee. The policy committees gathered feedback from experts, advocates, practitioners and residents and compiled options for the new administration to consider in Simmons' first 100 days in office and beyond.

Stamford has taken strides in recent years to expand mental health initiatives. In January, the Stamford Police Department received a $550,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to add another social worker to the police department, and improve public safety responses and outcomes for people with mental illness.

The funds help build upon initiatives put in place by the SPD beginning in January 2020 to help those dealing with mental health issues. The city decided to act after seeing a rise in mental health calls, and after speaking with relatives of those who have been affected.