HEAR THEIR STORIES
Read the impact of our supportive care services from the patients themselves. These individuals offered to share how BCRI’s impact brought life-changing improvements to their life and want the community to know our commitment lies with their wellbeing first. With your help, we can continue to make these stories come true for more people in need.
I’M JOHNATHAN
My name is Johnathan Davis and I am the Executive Director for Baltimore Crisis Response Inc. This year, Baltimore Crisis Response Inc is celebrating 30 years of providing services to the City of Baltimore.
Over the past 30 years, the organization has deepened its impact to the community by increasing the number of individuals served in our residential units, expanding mobile crisis response and soon to add mobile crisis response services for youth, partnering with Baltimore Police Department in the 911 Diversion Program, and managing the 988 Regional Comprehensive Call Center for Maryland.
Friends and neighbors, to continue this great work and to celebrate the work we’ve done for the past 30 years, I am asking that you donate today. 80 cents to every dollar donated go directly to service delivery, ensuring that monies you give goes directly to saving lives.
You may donate today by visiting www.bcresponse.org. Also, encourage your friends and family to join in this great work by donating as well.
Donate today and let’s continue to provide life-saving services to the City of Baltimore.
I’M DANITA
I’m Danita, and my experience at BCRI as a patient was lifesaving, and that’s no exaggeration. It restored my will and passion to live.
Having been cared for in a row home on North Avenue 20 years ago with just 6 beds prepared me to now work as a peer in a facility that can treat up to 40 patients today. I am proof that you can turn trauma and life experience into medicine.
I know firsthand the importance of BCRI’s service to the community because they offered me the support to get me where I am today.
BCRI has helped thousands of people restore their quality of life for over 30 years, but there are still more out there that need the same care.
To support our mission, please click the donate button below. For every dollar that you donate, you're empowering people just like me to restore their meaning and purpose in life. Thank you!
I’M ANGELA
Hi, I’m Angela, and I can’t say how grateful I am for BCRI’s support. I had systemic barriers ahead of me that prevented me from getting my ID.
I called every source you could think of and tried to navigate my way to resolving the issue, but had no results and no follow-ups.
The LEAD team connected me to the Public Defender’s Office and their assistance with sorting out my ID issues finally allowed me to get back on my feet.
I was able to order bus passes, secure housing, apply for jobs, and even order a phone. Without these basic necessities, I’d be stuck.
BCRI was there for me and actually kept their word. I know I’m not the only one here who needs their help. Our community needs your support.
To support our mission, please click the donate button below.
For every dollar that you donate, you're empowering the lives of people just like me. Thank you!
I’M VICTOR
Hi I’m Victor and the LEAD program has been a tremendous help for me for the last 6 months since joining.
A friend of mine who was also in the program connected me to the staff at BCRI.
They’ve helped me with finding housing, case workers and counselors, transportation, addiction treatment, and so much more. This has truly been a life changing experience being here in the program.
They have been my biggest supporters and it’s allowed me to finally feel I have control in my life.
BCRI has helped thousands of people restore their quality of life for over 30 years, but there are still more out there that need the same care.
To support the mission, please click the donate button below. For every dollar that you donate, you're empowering people just like me to restore their lives. Thank you!
I’M EDGAR
My name is Edgar Wiggins. I am the founding Executive Director of Baltimore Crisis Response Inc., affectionately known as BCRI. When we started BCRI 30 years ago, it was a small organization who was trying to provide services like no one else had in the history of Baltimore City.
When we started, there was no 24 hour crisis hotline. There were no mobile teams. There weren’t even crisis beds or community substance-abuse treatment beds. So when we started as a small organization, we expanded and have grown significantly over the past 30 years.
We have grown from a small crisis organization to a comprehensive behavioral health crisis organization that works with people in their homes, community settings, homeless shelters, or train stations. We work with and train Baltimore City police officers to be more effective when dealing with people in crisis.
When I retired just about two years ago, I was proud of the accomplishments that we made. But since I've been gone, the wonderful thing for me is to see how the organization has continued to expand, continues to grow, and clearly is a model for crisis service delivery that is acknowledged nationally.
In spite of the significant expansion that the organization as achieved, there's always the need for additional support. One of the challenges of nonprofits like BCRI is that they are often dependent on government sources to keep the organization going.
A successful organization also has the ability to reach out to the community for fiscal support from our friends, family members, neighbors, and that's why I'm speaking to you today. We need your help to continue the growth and the significant services that this organization provides. So please help us. Thank you!
I’M DA’JANAE
I’m DaJanae and I’m a case manager with Charm City Care Connections.
We work closely with the LEAD program at Baltimore Crisis Response, and I’m happy to say we have a shared goal of breaking down barriers, ending stigma, and helping struggling folks to stay connected with the community.
Angela shared from the heart how impactful BCRI’s support was for her, and her experience is why I’ll keep bringing my clients to LEAD.
BCRI is changing the game around mental healthcare services and they’ve proven to the world that there’s a pathway for recovery and healthier lives.
We can make this vision a reality, but we need your support. Please click the donate button below so we can make sure we leave no one behind.
I’M MOLLIE
From hopeless to hopeful. I stand before you, my name is Mollie Woodson, and I am an alum of Baltimore Crisis Response Incorporated.
I came through BCRI in utter despair and hopelessness. We were located on North Avenue in the city. I was able to stay and get the treatment and the services that I so desperately needed. My stay was extended and then I went on to long-term therapy and treatment holistically at another facility out of state two and a half years before I returned to Baltimore and my family.
It was at that point in my process of recovery that I realized that the best way that I can continue to heal was to work on my problems and to be willing to give back to my community. During that time, I went to school at BCCC for humanities, worked in several recovery houses, did internships at different facilities, and it brought me here to BCRI as a staff working as a residential counselor from 2014 until recently.
I’m in the process of taking my certification for peer support so that I can be of service to my peers — men and women just like me who are struggling for a new way of life. I’ve taken the training for peer support specialist, and it covers a lot of areas of services and needs for the human being. Today, there's hope. There doesn't have to be stigma or the fear that you're not good enough or worthy enough to be helped.
BCRI is 24/7/365 days a year facility, we never close. We offer services, support, and help to those in need. We can be reached directly by our hotline by dialing 988. It used to be where you could call 911 and the police would come. Now, peer support is there to be the buffer so that we can inform, educate, and relate to our community to let them know the importance of supporting mental health and substance use treatment.
I appeal to you to donate to be supportive of this effort so that we can get our community back on track. Everybody needs somebody to care about them and believe in them no matter what they've been through in life. I am evidence that it is doable and it's possible. I went from hopeless to hopeful, and I'm happy to be of service to my fellows and the community. Thank you.