On Tuesday, the Medica Foundation announced $400,000 in grants split between two Bemidji organizations as part of a $3 million statewide investment in mental and chemical health, the Bemidji Pioneer reported.
Bemidji State University and Evergreen Youth and Family Services, Inc. will each receive $200,000 among 15 total awards across Minnesota. Foundation Director Pleasant Radford said the funding targets organizations that meet people where they are with trustworthy support.
“Getting someone the right help means understanding more than a diagnosis. It means understanding the person, their experiences and the community around them,” Radford told the Bemidji Pioneer.
A $200,000 grant will help Evergreen Youth and Family Services provide mental health care for youth facing housing instability in northwestern Minnesota. The nonprofit operates an around-the-clock shelter for young people ages 9 to 17 experiencing immediate personal or family crises.
Beltrami County counts 4,752 households as housing cost-burdened by spending at least 30 percent of income on housing.
Radford told the Bemidji Pioneer that mental health cannot be separated from housing worries.
“When a young person is worried about where they’re going to sleep or what tomorrow will bring, mental health can’t be separated from everything else happening in their life,” Radford told the Bemidji Pioneer.
A separate $200,000 grant goes to Bemidji State University to pilot and implement the Indigenous S.A.F.E. Screening Tool. The tool is designed for American Indian and Alaska Native populations and incorporates culturally relevant considerations.
American Indian and Alaska Native populations experience disproportionately high suicide rates, particularly among Indigenous youth. Radford told the Bemidji Pioneer that the initiative respects lived experiences and cultural trust.
“This work recognizes that trust, culture and lived experience matter when someone is struggling,” Radford told the Bemidji Pioneer.
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