Touchstone Mental Health

Touchstone Mental Health is a nonprofit organization in Minneapolis, originally started in 1982, and you'll find several of its programs and buildings spread throughout Minneapolis as well as in New Hope, Fridley, and Bloomington, so they serve adults with various mental health challenges, including those with disabilities and brain injuries, and are known for trying to help people who might've been overlooked, including seniors, young adults, those with co-occurring addiction, and folks without stable homes. Touchstone's main goal is to help people learn about their mental health, practice skills they need to live on their own, and feel able to be a part of their community, and they work with about 1,600 individuals every year, always focused on values like dignity, diversity, and respect, making sure everyone has a voice. Touchstone offers many services that include things like aftercare, step-down support, case management, individual and group counseling, round-the-clock supervision, and help with both housing and employment, plus referrals to other needed services, and the programs often stress training in coping, wellness, job skills, anger and stress management, taking care of yourself, making and managing money, parenting, and understanding how to avoid setbacks. Clients can use programs with names you'll hear often, like Community Housing Services, Intensive Residential Treatment Services (IRTS), Care Coordination, Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS), Integrated Community Supports (ICS), and Targeted Case Management, while specific buildings and housing programs include Portland Place, Lyric Lane, Two Rivers, Rising Cedar Apartments, and Minnehaha Commons, and there's the New Hope Apartments too, with more coming soon like Kyle Garden Square. Touchstone also has programs called Touchstone Connections, the Housing Innovations program, and the Anoka County Community Support Program, and they encourage people to make their own choices through person-centered approaches, paying attention to each person's story. Some places even have a Fitness Center, but the focus has been on helping folks build skills, keep their housing stable, stay healthy, and work towards independence; and for people getting medical assistance, not private insurance, Touchstone makes sure they can have services and support, whether that's in community-based programs or home-like residential settings, all with a dedicated staff of over 200 people. Everything is rooted in the desire to create a safe, welcoming environment, recognizing the challenges that come from racism and oppression, and throughout all the programs, staff try to bridge the gap between mental, physical, and community health for everyone they serve.