A new facility to help homeless people who are mentally ill is opening Monday in Lawrence.
Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center is offering homeless people a "bridge" back into the community.
The center dedicated Bridges, a new transitional housing facility for mentally ill homeless people, on Friday. Bridges will offer a stable environment and teach residents skills to help them live independently.
"That's part of the reason they're homeless -- because they don't have those skills," said Lynn Amyx, Bridges' residence manager.
Around 50 people toured the home at 1334 N.J. during the dedication.
"No frills, but nice," Lawrence Mayor Erv Hodges said.
The facility, which will be staffed 24 hours a day, has room for eight residents. Amyx said the goal is to teach residents the skills they need to move out into the community, from budgeting to meal planning. Residents will be able to stay for up to a year, and in some cases longer.
"Their length of stay will be determined by their needs," Amyx said.
The facility has been in the works for several years. Bert Nash received $65,000 from the city from Community Development Block Grant funds and $65,000 from the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Commission's Topeka State Hospital closure funds, which it used to purchase the home. The city also gave the center an additional $23,000 to renovate and rehabilitate the house, and Bert Nash received a $300,000 grant from the federal Housing and Urban Development Department to cover Bridges' operating budget for three years.
"This is a city-county facility that is meeting a need I think all of us have recognized for many years," Hodges said at the dedication.
Bridges' doors open Monday; there are clients already signed up to live in the home. Amyx expects to be half-full by Friday.
"There are people calling about it every day," she said.
-- Felicia Haynes' phone message number is 832-7173. Her e-mail address is fhaynes@ljworld.com.
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