MANSFIELD — The Richland County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board — along with its local partners — served 10,714 unique individuals in 2024.
That data is according to Sherry Branham-Fonner, the board’s executive director. Additionally, she said 16,899 individuals participated in prevention programs.
These individuals were able to receive assistance thanks to funds generated through an existing mental health and recovery services levy — along with some federal, state and local dollars.
The levy was first passed in 1986 and most recently renewed by county voters in 2016.
“It has never not been a resource for the community,” Branham-Fonner said of the levy.
The mental health and recovery services levy is a 1-mill, 10-year property tax renewal — meaning current tax rates for the issue would not increase should voters pass it in November.
According to Branham-Fonner, it has generated an average of about $2.2 million over the past five years. It costs a county property owner with a $100,000 home approximately $35 each year.
“That’s the price of dinner out for some people,” she said of the yearly cost to property owners. “You could be saving a life by skipping dinner (out) and eating at home.”
Funding from the countywide levy supports a wide range of services, including 24/7 mental health crisis response and prevention and outreach programs. The levy also helps fund treatment for individuals facing mental health and addiction challenges and early intervention programs for children, adolescents and adults, among other services.
These services, among others, can be found through the Richland Recovery Network website, which helps guide individuals to needed services and local resources.
Federal, state and local dollars work together with levy funding to sustain these services.
Branham-Fonner said levy funds are the only “flexible dollars” the board has.
“Federal and state dollars are very specific to how they can be used,” she said. “If there is a gap in our system of care in the county, we can use those levy funds to fill that gap so we have a seamless continuum of care.”
For more information about the Nov. 4 election, visit the Richland County Board of Elections website.
Below are statistical fact sheets related to the Richland County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board’s levy renewal, on the ballot for county voters Nov. 4. (Data provided by Sherry Branham-Fonner)
