milwaukeemhtf_yqhe8a

Thank you to the many organizations and individuals who have supported the Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force annual membership drive. Your support is essential to sustaining the work of the Mental Health Task Force.

Our 2022 – 2023 annual membership drive is now underway. If you have not signed on yet, we invite you to join or renew your membership. Your membership will support our work as a positive force for systems change, cover a portion of staff costs to coordinate the task force, fund programmatic and communications expenses, and ensure our programs are open to all. If you have not responded yet, there is still time!

For additional information, read the Mental Health Task Force Annual Membership Drive letter.

Online Membership Form Submission and Payment

This year, we invite you to complete your Membership Form online.  You can choose to make a credit card payment when you complete your form, or you can submit your form now and pay later, either by check or by credit card online.

Note: Disability Rights Wisconsin  is the fiscal agent for the Task Force, so payment is made through the DRW Paypal account.  All contributions are used to support the work of the Mental Health Task Force.

Questions?

Contact Barbara Beckert at barbara.beckert@drwi.org or 414-292-2724.

Please join us for the January Mental Health Task Force meeting, Tuesday, January 11, from 3 – 5 PM via Zoom.

Agenda

View our meeting agenda here (pdf).

View the meeting recording here (Youtube).

Our January agenda will focus on housing resources, and will include the following:

1. Welcome and opening remarks (3:00 – 3:05)
2. Housing resources and advocacy –  Milwaukee County Housing Division (3:05 – 3:50)
   • Shakita LaGrant-McClain, Director Milwaukee County Dept. of Health & Human Services
   • Jim Mathy, Housing Administrator
   • Eric Collins-Dyke, Assistant Administrator of Supportive Housing​ and Homeless Services
   • Materials
     • View the MCHD Presentation here (pdf).
     • View the Energy Assistance Flyer here (pdf).
     • View the Additional Services Flyer here (pdf).
3. Coordinated Entry for Homeless Services – IMPACT Inc. (3:50 – 4:20)
   • John Hyatt, President & CEO
   • Emily Kenney, Director of Systems Change
   • Materials
     • View the Access to Housing presentation here (pdf).
     • View the CE Flow document here (pdf).
4. Plans for forum series: A Look Inside: Mental Illness and Our Criminal Justice System, Tom Reed and Pete Koneazny (4:20 – 4:30)
5. Policy Updates (4:30 – 4:50)
   • Mental Health Board Update, Shirley Drake, Mental Health Board Member, and Barbara Beckert, Disability Rights WI
   • Overview of state bills
     • View the Legislative Updates document here (pdf).
   • Mental Health Emergency Center
     • View the Milwaukee Mental Health Emergency Center presentation here (pdf).
   • 2022 Spring Elections and Resources
     • 2022 Spring Elections Toolkit – Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition
       • Make Your Plan to Vote 2022 Fact Sheet
       • 2022 Wisconsin Spring Elections Timeline
       • 2022 Elections Postcards and Posters
         • Complete this survey to order your free postcards and posters.
6. Update on 2022 Programming and Survey Input, Christine Apple, co-chair. (4:50 – 5:00)
   • View the Update on MHTF 2022 Programming Input Survey here (pdf).

MHTF Survey

Please take the survey and share your programing and advocacy suggestions with the Mental Health Task Force – help us plan for 2022.

• Complete the 2022 Program Planning Survey here: https://forms.gle/4LpWj2QBRG39p8pT7

Meeting Registration

Our meetings are open to all. To request a link, complete the form below:

Join us Tuesday, August 10^th at 3 – 5 PM for a virtual briefing on the 2022 Milwaukee County Budget. Speakers will include County Executive David Crowley and department leadership from the Budget Office, Department of Health and Human Services, Milwaukee County Transit, the House of Correction, and office of the Milwaukee County Sheriff.

Budget resources and meeting materials will be posted on the Mental Health Task Force website.  Registration is required.

The Milwaukee County Budget is vital to funding services for children and adults with disabilities and mental health needs, for older adults, and other community members.  Attend the briefing to learn about the budget and how you can get involved.

• Click here to register for the 2022 Milwaukee County Budget briefing.
• View the recording of the briefing on YouTube here.
• Click here to view agenda as a pdf  or see below.
• ASL interpreters will be available and the meeting will be captioned. For other accommodation requests, contact Barbara Beckert at barbara.beckert@drwi.org by August 1. We will do our best to respond to requests received after that date.

Briefing Agenda

Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Mental Health Task Force Co-chair Mary Neubauer
• Make It Work Milwaukee Coalition – Barbara Beckert

Opening Remarks about the 2022 Milwaukee County Budget

• Milwaukee County Executive, David Crowley
  • County Executive David Crowley Announces 2022 Budget Town Hall Series.
    • Read the full announcement here.
    • Register here.
• Budget and Budget Process – Dan Laurila, Milwaukee County Operating Budget Manager
  • View the Overview of the 2022 Milwaukee County Requested Budget here (pdf).

Milwaukee County Transit System

• Daniel Boehm, President & Managing Director Milwaukee County Transit System
• View the MCTS Budget presentation here (pdf).

Milwaukee County Health & Human Services (including Delinquency and Court Services, Disability Services, Housing, Behavioral Health Division, Aging, Disability Services)

• Shakita LaGrant-McClain, Director, Department of Health & Human Services
• Matt Fortman, CFO
• Clare O’Brien, Policy and Budget Director
• View the DHHS Budget presentation here (pdf).

House of Correction

• Chantell Jewell, Superintendent
• View the House of Correction Budget presentation here (pdf).

Milwaukee County Sheriff

• Theodore F. Chisholm Chief of Staff
• View the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office Budget presentation here (pdf).

Wrap up, Call to Action and Next Steps

• Coalition Leadership

Register now for our 2021 Karen Avery Forum: Celebrating Recovery, Ending Stigma, Embracing Possibilities. View event information, the Forum flyer and Forum registration here.

Please join us for the February meeting of the Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force, Tuesday, February 9th at 3 PM.

We are excited to provide an opportunity to hear about models for responding to a mental health crisis, including some models that do not require participation of law enforcement.

Our agenda will include the following:

• View the MHTF February 9th Meeting Agenda here.
• New Models of Crisis Response, Amy C Watson, PhD, Professor, Helen Bader School of Social Welfare. New models of crisis response.
  • Includes time for Q and A
    • Developing a Non-Law Enforcement Crisis Response Model
    • Crisis Response Services for People with Mental Illness or Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
    • A sample process for developing a community based emergency first responders (EFR) program
    • https://www.vera.org/projects/responding-to-behavioral-health-crises

• CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets), Tim Black, Director of Consulting, White Bird Clinic, Eugene, Oregon.
  • View the Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets Overview presentation here.
  • Includes time for Q and A

• Public Policy Update:  Update on state policy and budget and Mental Health Task Force priorities.
  • COVID 19 vaccine updates

• Spring election updates.  The Mental Health Task Force will be a co-sponsor of a Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition Candidate forum for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.  Save the date for March 4^th at 7 – 8:30 PM and registration information will be available soon.
  • View your ballot and check your voter registration status at https://myvote.wi.gov/
  • Make your plan to vote – this fact sheet walks you through the steps: https://disabilityvote.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/DVC-LWV-Voting_Plan_0920-final-acc-statewide.pdf
  • Check out resources on the State Superintendent for Public Instruction candidates:  https://disabilityvote.org/2021/state-superintendent-of-public-instruction-resources/

• lMenta Health Board: Mary Neubauer, MHTF co-chair and rep on the Milwaukee County Mental Health Board and Shirley Drake, newly appointed MH Board member will update us on the Milwaukee County Mental Health Board.

The February 9^th Mental Health Task Force meeting featured two speakers sharing new models of crisis response.

• New Models of Crisis Response, Amy C Watson, PhD, Professor, Helen Bader School of Social Welfare.
• CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets), Tim Black, Director of Consulting, White Bird Clinic, Eugene, Oregon

Their presentations have been recorded. The passcode to view the Zoom recording is “4?GsW=Z0” (phonetic reading: four, question-mark, capital G, lowercase S, capital W, equal sign, capital Z, zero). View the recording of our speakers on Zoom here.

Meeting Logistics

• ASL Interpreters will be available.  If you use an ASL interpreter or have other disability related accommodation needs, please email me at barbara.beckert@drwi.org so we can be responsive to your needs.
• Meeting materials will be posted on this page as they become available prior to the meeting.

Save the Dates

• February 16, 2021, at 7:00 PM:  Governor Evers Budget Address.
• February 25, 2021 at 9 AM: Milwaukee County Mental Health Board meeting.  Agenda will be posted at: https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/DHHS/About/Governance

If you don’t have the link to join the meeting, please fill out the form below.  The meeting link will be sent to your email.

The Milwaukee Mental Health Task Force will be meeting on December 8th from 3:00 – 5:00 pm.

Meeting Agenda (pdf)

Meeting Summary and Materials

1. Welcome and Task Force Updates

• 2020 Voter Experience Surveys

2. Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division Housing Initiative

• CARS Housing Checklist
• Rental Housing Resource Center launch news release

3. Mike Lappen, Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division Administrator

• MKECOC-A Psychiatric Crisis Redesign: Phase 3 Update
• DRAFT Child Adolescent Psych Crisis Redesign: Phase 4 Committee Charter overview

4. Deshanda Williams, Pathfinders Director of Runaway, Homeless Youth (RHY) Services

• Pathfinders | Empowering Youth. Changing Lives. (pathfindersmke.org)
  
• 2020 50th Pathfinders Overview
• Pathfinders Programs & Services presentation

5. Mental Health Board Update

6. State Budget

7. Planning for 2021

If you don’t have the link to join the meeting, please fill out the form below.  The meeting link will be sent to your email.