Pillars Launches New Website to Connect Area Residents to Services

Submitted by Pillars.

A staggering one in four people have a diagnosable mental illness, yet two-thirds of those individuals go without treatment each year due to stigma about the illness or an inability to access care.

Further, while more than 4.7 million women in the United States experience physical violence by an intimate partner each year, only 25 percent of physical assaults against women are reported to the police.

Mental health and social service agencies can provide treatment, advocacy, and support for the most vulnerable members of the community — but those individuals need to know where and when to look for that help.

As the largest nonprofit provider of mental health and social services in the western and southwestern suburbs of Chicago, Pillars works to build healthier communities by connecting people to the resources they need to get back on their feet. The nonprofit formally launched a new version of its website (pillarscommunity.org) in Aug. 2015 to help accomplish that goal.

“We hope our new website will not just help people understand what we do, but also aid community members in getting the right help at the right time,” says Ann C. Schreiner, AM, LCSW, president and CEO of Pillars. “Whether they are on Google looking up advice or searching for help in the midst of a crisis, area residents need to be able to find answers. This website provides information to help them take the next step in reaching out for help.”

The new pillarscommunity.org provides information for area residents seeking:

• Mental health services, from outpatient counseling to help finding a job
• Addictions services, including DUI risk education and group therapy
• Domestic or sexual violence services, including access to 24-hour crisis hotlines and information on Pillars’ domestic violence shelter
• Child and family services, such as Head Start, grief support, and mental health prevention
• Community housing services, to help prevent homelessness

For victims of domestic violence, the site also includes a safety exit button. This allows users who are browsing the Pillars website to quickly exit the site while automatically wiping their browsing history — thereby offering privacy and preventing intrusion or retaliation from an abusive partner in the home.