Members of Gov. Tony Evers' administration met with the Friendship Circle on Friday to brainstorm on employment solutions and mental health.
Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld, Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek, and Department of Health Services (DHS) Assistant Deputy Secretary Sarah Valencia held the roundtable with officials from local non-profit at their location in Fox Point.
For two years, the Friendship Circle has trained adults with disabilities for job placement and more than 1,500 hundred people in suicide prevention with their program safeTALK.
"Wisconsin's record low unemployment rate and record high number of jobs mean it's more important than ever to help everyone reach their employment potential," said DWD Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek.
Gov. Evers declared 2023 the year of mental health, and he's called for more than $500 million to expand mental health and behavioral services in the 2023-25 budget.
"This [suicide prevention] has to be attacked from all sides," said Levi Stein, Friendship Circle Executive Director. "We're happy to be a model for that. But this has to be a way of life."
Stein has already received one grant from DHS to make his safeTALK program available at no cost. But he's hoping to secure more state money to expand his staff and offer more training across Southeast Wisconsin and the state.
“Workforce development and mental health care are among our state’s most pressing challenges right now,” said Secretary Blumenfeld. “It was heartening to learn how Friendship Circle is meeting both of those challenges with dedication, resourcefulness, and empathy. As a provider of vital services, they are doing their part to serve those in need. As a state, we must do ours to bolster our workforce and expand access to mental health care.”
Among Wisconsin youth, suicide is the second leading cause of death and 13% of young people have considered suicide, according to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
In 2020, 861 people in Wisconsin took their own lives, according to the Department of Health Services.
“It is moving to hear directly from those who are helping to make our state a better place for all Wisconsinites. We know the past few years have been tough, and appreciate the work being done by partners like Friendship Circle to ensure our most vulnerable have access to mental health treatment and employment,” said Sarah Valencia, DHS Assistant Deputy Secretary.
The Friendship Circle's program, safeTALK, is available for anyone — you just need a minimum of ten people to sign up.
"We'll be really able to work together to make a better Milwaukee and better Wisconsin. I think we will," said Stein. "I think what you’re seeing today will be a distant memory in the future. And it starts from a conversation and it ends with saving lives."
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