Manatee County leaders invited to participate in White House summit. Here’s why
Manatee County officials will participate in a White House national summit to recognize its homelessness and substance use disorder programs, according to the county.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard and Angie Sciarrone, outreach case manager with Manatee County’s Community Health Program, will attend the “Best Practices for Addiction Treatment within Homelessness” summit, the county said in a news release.
The summit takes place at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Monday and Tuesday. The county said that it is “among a select group of communities invited to participate.”
“It’s truly an honor to be one of 25 agencies from across the country invited to participate in this Summit,” said Sciarrone. “This is an opportunity to share what we’ve been building in Manatee County and to learn from others working in this space at the highest level.”
The summit will take place less than a month after the county announced the approval for phase one of its Fresh Start Initiative, which provides support services and temporary housing for Manatee residents experiencing homelessness. The first phase includes the construction of a shelter with 62 beds, which is expected to begin in late April.
The county says phase two of the initiative could begin in this fall, adding another 84 beds and expanding the support facilities.
In October, Manatee County Government celebrated the grand opening of its Under One Roof Gateway South Shelter, which provides housing and recovery resources for women looking to overcome addiction, trauma and homelessness.
“In Manatee County, we’ve been very intentional about building an ecosystem of support by creating coordinated network of services rather than isolated programs,” said Ballard, who has spearheaded Manatee County’s push to expand social services. “From outreach and shelter to behavioral health and recovery, this work is making a real impact, and we’re proud to contribute to a larger conversation on what’s working.”
At the summit, experts will convene to find functional and successful strategies for helping individuals experiencing homelessness treat any addiction and mental illness they may have, according to the news release.
The effective pathways identified will aid in the making of a “national toolkit to guide communities facing similar challenges,” according to the county.
Manatee County’s Community Health Program centers around a “proactive outreach and coordinated care, connecting individuals to medical services, behavioral health support, and long-term resources,” the release says.
