The Aspen Hope Center will be offering the Community Hope Fund beginning this summer, a new initiative aiming to ensure mental health care remains accessible to individuals who are uninsured, without adequate behavioral health coverage or facing financial barriers to therapy.
Community members from Aspen to Parachute who are seeking therapy will be able to apply for financial assistance to aid in the cost of care.
“AHC will provide oversight, governance and administration, assuring resources are distributed responsibly and reaching those most in need,” a press release reads.
The Community Hope Fund is not designed to support the Aspen Hope Center operations. It will be led by an Advisory Council that is currently being formed in order to “promote transparency, equity and community partnership,” according to the release.
Aspen Hope Center’s Executive Director Erin Mitchell told The Aspen Times that the group, once assembled, will be the driving force behind the development of what the fund looks like.
“The Advisory Council will be composed of professionals and experts in our region in the mental health field who can lend perspective,” Mitchell said.
The council will be helping to advise and guide what should go on the application, what type of individual should receive money from the fund, the geographic limitations of the funding and more. The council will not decide who gets funding on an individual basis.
The contributions to the fund will be driven by relationships with supporters and contributions from grant makers. This carries on the legacy of the Mental Health Fund, begun in 2011 by Joan and Lawrence Altman and based at Aspen Community Foundation, in addition to being supported by Aspen Strong’s annual event “Hike Hope Heal.”
In 2021, the stewardship of the fund transitioned fully to HeadQuarters (which was formerly Aspen Strong), further expanding access to care.
“Following the recent closure of HeadQuarters, a gap emerged in the access to local therapy,” the press release states. “(Aspen Hope Center) is honored to step forward and help restore and sustain this critical mission through a newly structured approach.”
For Mitchell, closing that gap isn’t just about progressing mental health access going forward, but honoring the work that has been done for more than a decade in the valley.
“The legacy of the Mental Health Fund, that is crucial,” Mitchell said.
Looking forward, Mitchell hopes that when the newly established fund opens in the summer, its impact will go beyond just therapy sessions to help power each individual’s overall mental health journey.
“The obvious hope is that people can access affordable therapy, but the impact of that is that people will be able to develop a relationship with a trusted provider and then develop meaningful and impactful life skills that they can use to help them live a happy, healthy, joyous life,” Mitchell said.
Contributions can be made through individual donations, business support and partnerships with mental health leaders and community members. For more information or to contribute, contact Aspen Hope Center at 970-924-0703.