09-15-2024 GAR - Flipbook - Page 12
12 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Sunday, September 15, 2024
Helping Veterans Find
Hope and Healing
The Baltimore Station
K
im Callari, executive director at The Baltimore
Station, understands the
urgency for homeless or
unstably housed veterans, especially
those struggling with mental health
or substance use disorders, to receive
immediate assistance. “Most of our
referrals come through the Veterans
Administration, and if they qualify
for our program, we can usually get
them in within 24 hours,” says Callari. She notes that referrals come
from hospitals, social workers, The
American Legion, and community
partners. “We know that time is of
the essence.”
“Our outreach coordinator, who
is a graduate of our program, works
closely with the referral agency and
can help provide transportation to
make it as easy and quickly as possible to get the veteran here and into
treatment,” says Callari, who adds
that the average program length of
stay is about 13 months but veterans can stay up to two years.
For more than 35 years, The
Baltimore Station has helped turn
lives around through an innovative
therapeutic residential treatment
program supporting veterans from
around the country at its 90-bed facility in South Baltimore. Program
recipients receive client-centered
case management, relapse preven-
tion, grief and loss counseling, mental health therapy, peer facilitative
groups, and more. All programs and
services are provided free of cost to
the veteran.
“The first day they learn about all
the different aspects of the program,
and we work with them to develop
a contract – what their goals and
objectives are, as well as their needs.
The next day they start treatment
and are assigned a case manager
who works with them until they
graduate from the program,” she
says.
In addition to the therapeutic services and support, veterans benefit
from The Baltimore Station’s work-
force development program. “We
work with the veteran to identify job
interests and what type of certification and/or education is required to
pursue a specific field of work. We
connect the veteran with resources
such as Maryland New Directions,
which can help with computer literacy, interviewing and other skills
needed to obtain employment.” The
Baltimore Station also identifies
veterans within the program who
show an interest in working at The
Baltimore Station after they graduate. “Through our work therapy
program, we provide opportunities to work at our facility, while in
treatment,” says Callari. “This helps
