09-15-2024 GAR - Flipbook - Page 5
A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Sunday, September 15, 2024 5
Forming Key
Partnerships to
Help Those in Need
Helping Up Mission
T
he issue of addiction is a complex
one, and with overdose numbers
soaring in the Baltimore region,
there is no one set solution. Helping Up Mission (HUM, helpingupmission.
org) recognizes this and has formed strategic partnerships with health care institutions, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations with a common goal— helping
people get into treatment and better their
lives. “It’s just being there for people in
their time and need. And one thing that I’ve
learned is you can’t force people to realize
that they’re at rock bottom, and they need
to get help. They have to be willing, but
what we want to do is to be there to catch
them when they are ready,” says Daniel
Stoltzfus, CEO of HUM.
“When you have multiple agencies working together to serve the same population,
you get more effective results than if one
group is trying to do it all on their own,” he
says. “We recognize that Helping Up Mission may not be the right fit for everybody,
so let’s strategically work together so that
there’s a better support system and a better
pathway into treatment. All our partners
want the same thing—to help people avoid
overdose and death.”
Stoltzfus says that HUM’s partnership
with Johns Hopkins Bayview Comprehensive Addiction and Pregnancy program
provides hope for multiple generations, as
pregnant and parenting women who are
battling addiction are invited into the Spiritual Recovery Program at HUM’s Center
for Women & Children. “We’ve seen a tremendous impact through this program in
terms of keeping families together, preventing kids from going into the foster system,
preventing overdose deaths, and getting
them focused on recovery,” says Stoltzfus.
HUM has also grown its Mobile Street
Outreach to different parts of Baltimore
City, including Park Heights via partnerships with the Park Heights Community
Development Corporation and a local
church. Stoltzfus notes on a recent Saturday, four individuals in Park Heights who
met with the outreach team then agreed to
be transported to HUM to seek help.
Another HUM initiative involves working with Hopkins hospitals and now the
University of Maryland Medical Center.
“We expanded a program that we had
with a couple other hospitals called Next
Step, and it’s designed for people who are
coming to the emergency room or hospi-
tal who don’t have an acute medical issue
but need treatment for addiction. We work
with peer recovery coaches at UMMC to
identify individuals who may benefit from
our program after they’ve medically recovered at the hospital,” says Stoltzfus.
“Instead of simply handing them a brochure or giving them a referral, we serve
as a warm handoff into treatment, whether
it’s our program or another program. We
pick them up, take them to Helping Up
Mission, assess their needs, and see if they
are interested in our program or some other type of program. It’s all designed to help
people get into recovery and eliminate any
barriers that may exist in the pathway to
transformation,” he says. “At HUM, they
are getting more than just a meal and a nice
bed—they’re getting mental health and primary care services, peer recovery support,
group therapy, career training, and their
hope restored.”
Stoltzfus says that while the recent reports on the overdose deaths in
She is MORE THAN an addict.
That’s why we’re more than a shelter.
Learn more at HelpingUpMission.org/MoreThan
Baltimore—approximately 1,000 a year,
highest in the country—can be depressing,
it also serves as a motivator for Helping Up
Mission to do more to help those in need.
“Those numbers that we are seeing are
just not acceptable. And those are not just
numbers for us; they are people we know
like Angie and Quinn and other people that
I can name that we know. It’s absolutely urgent for us to find ways to get people into
treatment and ultimately to find hope and
recovery. That’s what motivates us to do
what we do every day because every life
has value,” he says.
Since 1885, Helping Up Mission has
impacted the lives of those experiencing homelessness, poverty, and addiction in Baltimore by providing individual
care that addresses their physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs.
Its 24-hour Hotline for Help Now,
410-929-6999, is available for people who
need help. For more information, visit
HelpingUpMission.org.
