Hyannis Mental Health Nonprofit Faces Shutdown After Funding Shortfall

HYANNIS-  ‘Dance in the Rain,’ which portrays itself as the only mental health recovery facility run by those who have personally felt the effects of mental illness, is facing an imminent shutdown, due to an unexpected budget shortfall.

The group reports that approximately 60% of their annual operating budget has been dissolved by one of their biggest donors.

“What we are looking for is for someone from the community to step up and be our hero, someone to believe in us, because we believed in ourselves. We have built something. What a great gift it that would be for us to continue on with our work,” said Mary Munsell, creator of the program.

The center, founded in 2013, serves over 280 individuals in a month, thus proving to be a shining light to those who needed someone to talk to, as well as acting like a helping hand, to help get victims back on the road to mental recovery.

“Peers have become providers. We have changed the face of the mental health system on Cape Cod. I don’t think people really understand the realities of living with a mental illness. That is why peer-to-peer engagement and support is so important,” said Munsell.

The group’s annual operating funds normally total $50,000 and are made possible by grants from the Lyndon Paul Lorusso Foundation, and Cape Cod Healthcare, among other donors.

It is unclear how long the center can keep their doors open and officials are asking anyone who feels like they can help to step forward before it is too late.

The center above Procuts at 145 Barnstable Road in Hyannis, is a place where anyone can drop in and find support groups, art classes and, perhaps more importantly, someone to talk to who lives with mental illness.

In 2015, it was presented as a model organization helping those with mental illness during a behavioral summit in Hyannis.

For more information on the center click HERE.

 

BY JOHN BONDAREK- CapeCod.Com News Center

About CapeCod.com NewsCenter

The award-winning CapeCod.com NewsCenter provides the Cape Cod community with a constant, credible source for local news. We are on the job seven days a week.



CapeCod.com
737 West Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
Contact Us | Advertise Terms of Use 
Employment and EEO | Privacy