BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Sweet Oak Collaborative will host a community conversation Saturday focused on poverty and mental health in the Brazos County-College Station area, organizers said.
Esther, a representative with the local nonprofit, said Sweet Oak was founded in 2022 to help address unmet needs in the Brazos Valley. The group’s earlier community discussions identified shelter, food insecurity and transportation as top gaps, she said, and mental health concerns now affect each of those issues.
Esther said local resources remain limited after Rock Prairie Behavioral Health closed in 2020, leaving some residents who need higher-level care to be transported to the greater Houston area or Central Texas.
The meeting is set for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Larry Ringer Library. Esther said participants will break into small groups to build on a mental health forum held two weeks ago and work toward forming a mental health committee. The group plans to develop a proposal for the city and partner with other organizations to expand local services.
For more information email info@sweetoaktx.org.
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