Outagamie County awards Community Connection Grant

OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI – (WISS & WGBW) – Outagamie County has awarded a half-a-million dollar ARPA grant to Us 2 Behavioral Health Care, Inc. to develop and deploy innovative curricula and training programs. 

The grant will allow Us 2 Behavioral Health Care to provide licensed social workers, therapists, and counselors in Outagamie County with continuing education sessions to uphold their licenses. The program will also offer Equity, Diversity & Inclusion training to foster professional growth and enhance outcomes for individuals accessing mental and behavioral health services. This funding will also facilitate the enhancement of Us 2 Behavioral Health Care’s existing systems, including technology, equipment, and office infrastructure, to elevate the overall trainee experience.

On August 9, 2022, Outagamie County’s Board of Supervisors voted to invest $2.75 M of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars into Behavioral and Mental Health. The County established a competitive program, the “Community Connections Grant,” to award up to $500,000 of these dollars to a nonprofit to design, improve, or implement training and continuing education programs focused on cultural competency; equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI); and peer-to-peer facilitation and mediation. 

The Community Connections Grant was intended to assist with the training of staff to provide individuals experiencing mental/behavioral health challenges with better service and care. The grant cycle opened in September of 2023 and closed on January 12, 2024.

For more information about Outagamie County’s ARPA investment programs, please visit the Outagamie County website.