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Grassroots Awarded Grant to Support Service Members, Veterans and their Families

Grassroots has been awarded $223,489 in grant funding from the Maryland Department of Health through the Sheila E. Hixson Behavioral Health Services Matching Grant Program for Service Members and Veterans.

The funding is allowing Grassroots to expand the scope of our services to better support service members, veterans and their families (SMVF) with free, high quality behavioral health support. The grant program is set up to help Maryland nonprofits establish and expand community behavioral health programs for SMVF.

Grassroots’ programs include our Outpatient Mental Health Clinic (OMHC) which provides open access to free, in-person therapy and medication management appointments within 48 to 72 hours to individuals, including service members, veterans and their families, who come to Grassroots with a behavioral health concern. We also support individuals who face barriers to mental health treatment. A barrier can be lack of insurance or access to affordable mental health care, extended wait times for an appointment, trouble finding an available provider, or technological restrictions associated with telehealth.

“Howard County is home to approximately 20,000 veterans and active-duty personnel many of whom work at Ft. Meade, defense contractors and the federal government,” said Dr. Mariana Izraelson, Psy.D, LCADC, Executive Director at Grassroots. “Recent uncertainty is causing increased stress, and some service members and veterans are finding it more difficult to access behavioral health care in a timely manner. Grassroots seeks to serve as a resource by providing free, immediate and confidential behavioral health services to these individuals and their families.”

For more information, visit https://grassrootscrisis.org/military/.

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Joe Eldred

Director of Homeless Services

Joe Eldred joined Grassroots in 2023 as director of Homeless Services where he oversees the emergency shelter programs and the Grassroots Day Resource Center. He started his career in homeless services nearly 20 years ago, having previously worked in education, after participating in a homeless count in Seattle. He has held every position in affordable housing from Onsite Property Manager to Director of Housing and Property Management.

Over his years, Joe has run all types of housing offerings including those for individuals experiencing homelessness and substance use issues, seniors, farm workers, and those with disabilities and HIV/AIDS. He has also worked with many different types of funding programs including HUD, PRAC 202, PRAC 811, USDA Rural Housing funds and funding services designed to break the cycle of homelessness like Continuum of Care and the Maryland Homelessness Solutions Program. Joe has had the opportunity to see how housing programs differ throughout the country, working in Seattle, Chicago, Harrisburg, PA and Ventura, CA, among others.

Nancy Campbell

Sr. Director of Operations & Corporate Compliance Officer

Nancy Campbell supervises the operations of Grassroots, including HR, finance, emergency shelter, homeless services, case management and facilities. She has more than 30 years of experience in managing organizations’ operations activities, mostly in the human services field. 

Community support is a passion for Nancy. She feels that mental health and homelessness often co-occur, and her goal is to develop strong strategic plans that meet the needs of Grassroots’ clients. She looks to make a difference by effectively working with our programs and staff to explore what we can offer to the community. She pays special focus on efforts that help individuals adjust while in the emergency shelter, as well as those that help them achieve stable housing. Nancy has her PMP, master’s degree in Psychology and MBA, and is currently in school to pursue a Doctorate in Leadership and Organizational Management.

Laura Willemin, LCSW-C

Sr. Director of Clinical and Crisis Services

Laura Willemin oversees all of the clinical and crisis services at Grassroots, including the crisis line, walk-in services, 988 crisis chat and text services, Mobile Crisis Team, substance use disorder program, urgent care mental health services and Outpatient Mental Health Clinic. She joined Grassroots in 2021 having previously served as manager of the Child and Adolescent Mobile Psychiatric Services for the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. She also worked in Prince George’s Child Protective Services, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children in the community.

Laura’s career has been concentrated in intense, fast-paced, high-acuity, safety-related and high-risk areas of practice. She appreciates the opportunity to support individuals and families during the most difficult or intense circumstances they may experience through the lifespan. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Social Work and is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW-C).