There is no wrong door, we accept anyone needing help with their mental health, substance abuse disorders or housing

This moment in America is living proof that the path to a just society requires the shedding of false narratives that demonize people and communities for social currency and political gain. These narratives influence how elected officials expend fiscal resources and which policies and regulations they enact. And it takes education, organizing and relationship building by nonprofits and people with lived experience to dispel myths and adopt new-found truths. In this episode of Power Station, Damien Cabezas, President and CEO of Community Connections DC, the largest nonprofit provider of mental health services in the nation's capital, offers a powerful example of how an historically maligned community remains stigmatized and profoundly misunderstood. While the public perceives that 70% of people with mental illness are violent the reality is that people with mental illness are more likely to be victims than perpetrators of crime. And as he explains, treatment, along with access to stable housing and community-based supports, leads to recovery and the capacity to thrive. Damien is an exceptional leader and advocate for people navigating mental illness and substance abuse disorders. He knows the costs to families, our economy and society when we embrace stigma over solutions.