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Photo by Fred Pollard
Wellspring Resources held a ribbon-cutting on March 13 to introduce the area to Amy’s Crossing, the mental health organization’s fifth housing project for those in need of safe, affordable housing. Community leaders and representatives were on hand to support the new facility’s opening.
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Photo by Fred Pollard
The interior of one of the housing units.
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Photo by Fred Pollard
The interior of one of the housing units.
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Photo by Fred Pollard
The interior of one of the housing units.
ALTON – With the completion of Amy’s Crossing, a new housing facility dedicated to assisting those with mental health challenges, Wellspring Resources provides something invaluable…hope.
“Supportive housing keeps people stable, out of emergency rooms, and off the streets,” Wellspring CEO Karen Sopronyi-Tompkins said. “It also changes people’s lives.”
Amy’s Crossing, a brand-new, 12-unit, HUD section 811 housing facility at 1900 Brown St., held its ribbon-cutting celebration earlier this month. The 10,600-square-foot project will provide homes for individuals who struggle with the daily challenges of mental illness, providing a safe haven many never have experienced.
“Having safe, affordable housing is such a big part of recovery,” says Anne Tyree, chief development officer for Wellspring. “Having that peace of mind just works wonders. We are here to help those with serious mental health conditions that affect everyday life, such as major depression and bipolar disorder.
“One in five people have some type of mental health condition, so this is something that affects all of us.”
The $1.6 million facility features a spacious common area, back patio with view, and handicap accessibility in two of its units. Funding partners included the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Madison County Community Development and Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago.
“We bought the property many years ago,” Tyree said. “We got the funding early in 2012 and have been in the construction stage for around a year. All in all, it was about a two-and-a-half year process.
“Waiting lists are two years long, so we needed this. And it is a beautiful area, with lots of trees and scenery. It is also conveniently on a bus route — something HUD prefers.”
Wellspring Resources was founded in Alton in 1959 as a county-funded mental health service. It later was incorporated as Madison County Mental Health Center, changed its name to Community Counseling Center and became Wellspring Resources in 2011.
Wellspring serves Madison, Jersey, Greene and Calhoun counties with four group homes and five housing facilities. Last year, the organization assisted more than 6,000 community residents.
The commitment to building affordable and safe housing for adults with serious mental health conditions dates back to the early 1990s. Amy’s Crossing is the fifth such project.
“Sometimes individuals who come to live here come from transitional housing and then go on to a more independent setting,” development coordinator Alexandra Cope said. “Others come from our group homes, where they learn life skills and then this is a great transition for them, as they have access to services but are still living on their own.
“It is up to them and what they feel is best for their situation, but a lot of people choose to come and stay.”
The new project is named in honor of a former employee who passed away in 2009.
“Amy was our CFO years ago,” Sopronyi-Tompkins said. “She knew how important our work is, and she liked the outdoors, so the setting is a good fit. She would love it here.
“We are really proud. We have four other housing projects that we built before Amy’s Crossing, and each one just gets better and better.”
With this latest chapter in the organization’s history, Sopronyi-Tompkins says Wellspring Resources is simply continuing its ongoing commitment to helping those who otherwise might slip through the system and never have the chance to be healthy and happy.
“Our goal is to continue to build,” she said. “This is just too important.”
For more information on Wellspring Resources and Amy’s Crossing, visit the website at www.wellspringresources.co.