Lea Nagy, Humboldt County’s mental health liaison, says one in four people are diagnosed with a serious mental illness. That’s you or me or someone we know and love. Nagy says Humboldt has no safe house, where a person suffering depression — a biological brain disorder — or other mental illness might find respite from daily pressures. There are a number of other resources here, however:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) (an advocacy service, not a crisis line): (707) 444-1600
HOPE Center (mental health client-run group): (707) 441-3723
Humboldt County Mental Health (general information): (707) 445-7203
Sempervirens Crisis Line: (707) 445-7715
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Suicide Crisis Hopeline: 1-800-748-2433
Support After Suicide (for families and friends): (707) 839-3349
The Emma Center (info, referrals, support for adult survivors of abuse and violence): (707) 825-6680
This article appears in Saving Sam.
I am a disabled woman in Humboldt county. I am in constant pain because the injuries I sustained while being repeatedly raped and tortured over a number of years are not aging well. Getting any help is extra challenging for me as the people who harmed me are still out there…so, I am very isolated as I have to be very careful as to who knows where I live. But the situation is getting desperate. I have no one to keep my yard up to the standards of where I live and I almost never get to eat and I have no one to talk to. Please help me. I do not want to kill myself but my situation is unbearable. Are there any volunteers who would help me but would keep my location private? I have very little money left and feel time is running out. The only thing that keeps me going is my beloved Labrador. Please help me.
Mare: Please call the HOPE Center and tell them about your situation. They’ll understand where you’re coming from. The number is above.
For help with your yard, you might want to look at the following Web site, which belongs to an organization that tries to organize community work:
http://reachouthumboldt.org/