Howard Center’s low-barrier mental health, crisis, and substance use programs provide rapid access to help when there’s no time to wait for an appointment, no transportation or when it’s difficult to make and keep appointments.
The newest of these programs is the Mental Health Urgent Care (MHUC) located at 1 South Prospect Street in Burlington. MHUC provides a therapeutic alternative to emergency department visits for adults experiencing a self-defined mental health crisis. Walk-ins are welcome Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and staff can offer immediate support in a trauma-informed setting. Except for physical health services covered by insurance, help is provided at MHUC free of charge, eliminating the affordability barrier for guests.
Since its opening in October 2024, only about 1 in 10 guests at MHUC have been current Howard Center clients, a clear indication that the program is providing access for people who aren’t already engaged in community mental health services.
Perhaps the oldest of Howard Center’s low-barrier programs is Safe Recovery, a syringe services program. Safe Recovery provides free support to people experiencing substance use disorder throughout the recovery process, from active use to sustained recovery, including during periods of relapse. Safe Recovery offers sterile supplies to prevent the spread of disease and infection, free Narcan (an opioid overdose reversal medication) and overdose prevention training, fentanyl and xylazine testing strips, HIV and Hepatitis C testing and linkage to care, care management, Hepatitis A/B vaccination and a legal clinic. Safe Recovery also offers on demand medications for opioid use disorder. Our low barrier buprenorphine program provides same day access to life saving medication and wrap around support services such as counseling and care management.
For people living in Chittenden County, MHUC and Safe Recovery provide easy access to life saving care, but sometimes the need is more immediate, or people don’t have transportation to a Howard Center site. First Call for Chittenden County (FCCC) professional staff are available 24/7/365 with a simple call to 802-488-7777. Regardless of the type of service, when you call First Call, you can expect phone support, crisis intervention and assessment, two-person mobile response, referrals to appropriate services, and connection to follow-up care. FCCC staff will collaborate with emergency responders during a crisis as needed and they serve anyone experiencing a crisis, regardless of age.
Howard Center’s Outreach Teams work in partnership with local and regional law enforcement, business owners, and community members in Burlington and nine Chittenden County communities. The teams respond in person to individuals of any age with unmet social service needs, often due to (but not limited to) mental health or substance use issues. The teams provide a wide range of services for individuals and families, including those with mental health, substance use, housing, or other social service needs, enabling first responders to use their limited resources to respond to emergent needs and criminal behavior. Referrals come to the team from service providers, police, family, friends, merchants, and concerned members of the community, and the teams sometimes work in coordination with FCCC.
Too many Vermonters don’t have permanent housing or reliable access to a phone, making it very difficult to make and keep appointments. And in an urgent situation or crisis, immediate help is needed. Low-barrier programs provide critical, lifesaving help when, and sometimes where, people need it most, and they represent a clear and welcoming entry to services both for Vermonters who have experience with mental health and substance use care, and for those who may be experiencing a need for the first time.
Howard Center helps people and communities thrive by providing supports and services to address mental health, substance use, and developmental needs. To access services, call 802-488-6000.
This article is part of a series, collaboratively produced by members of Vermont Care Partners, a statewide network of sixteen non-profit, community-based agencies providing mental health, substance use, and intellectual and developmental disability supports.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Low-barrier services provide vital access.