As part of the Plan for Community Well-Being, United Way of Dane County brings together partners and resources to help remove barriers to healthy living, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to live their healthiest life. This includes working with partners like Anesis Foundation to increase access to mental health services.

United Way’s support has strengthened Anesis’s ability to provide accessible, culturally responsive behavioral health services to individuals and families who may otherwise face significant barriers to care. The investment has supported the expansion of Anesis’s Drop-In Clinic model, allowing participants to receive immediate support and connect with therapy, case management, peer support, and community resources, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

For one participant experiencing a significant mental health crisis, that support meant finding the right therapist, developing healthier coping strategies and connecting with long-term resources. Over time, the participant regained confidence and began setting meaningful goals. Today, the participant is preparing to graduate from Operation Fresh Start and has secured employment.

United Way’s flexible investment also helps Anesis provide coordinated, wraparound care that addresses mental health needs and other factors that affect well-being, including housing, employment, transportation, food security and connection to community resources.

Through partnerships like this, United Way helps strengthen the network of support individuals and families rely on across Dane County – helping ensure the right resources are there when our neighbors need them the most.

Please note that names and photos for this story have been changed to protect the privacy of those featured.