Oneida County Announces Veteran Suicide Prevention Grant Awardees

County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. announced today that The Neighborhood Center, in collaboration with the Utica Center for Development, have been awarded the Oneida County Veteran Suicide Prevention Program.

“Our veterans give everything they have to protect this great nation and its citizens,” Picente said. “It is our responsibility to make sure they are taken care of in return. Oneida County is pleased to partner with the Neighborhood Center and the Utica Center for Development to provide our veterans with this suicide prevention program and ensure that they all receive the help they need.”

The Oneida County Department of Mental Health issued a Request for Proposals on December 2, 2022 to deliver the Veteran Suicide Prevention Program services. Proposal submissions were evaluated by a Technical Review Committee in January 2023 that consisted of the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Family and Community Services, Community Services Board and the Veterans Service Department.

The Neighborhood Center, Inc. submitted a proposal as the lead applicant and identified the Utica Center for Development, Inc. (UCD) as its collaborative partner. After careful consideration and scoring, they were identified as the program awardees. The county’s Department of Mental Health will be working swiftly to execute a contract in order to begin the Veteran Suicide Prevention Program.

“This much-needed resource will be able to help numerous individuals in our area,” said Oneida County Commissioner of Mental Health Ashlee Thompson. “We are very grateful that we will be able to provide an array of suicide prevention resources to those who have served and are currently serving, as well as their family members.”

Oneida County was awarded the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program (SSG Fox SPGP) Grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in September 2022, totaling up to $2.25 million. The funding is issued for three years at $750,000 per year. The county has secured the first $750,000 and will apply for grant renewal the following two years.

The SSG Fox SPGP is a pilot, community-based grant program that will provide financial assistance to eligible entities to provide or coordinate providing suicide prevention services to eligible veterans and their families. More than 240 agencies across the U.S. applied for the grant, and Oneida County was one of only 80 chosen. As the grantee, Oneida County is responsible for coordinating the provisions of such services.

For questions about this program, please contact the Mental Health Department at mentalhealth@ocgov.net or visit https://www.ocgov.net/oneida/mentalhealth. More information on the SSG Fox SPGP can be found at https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/ssgfox-grants/.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive free, confidential support and crisis intervention available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Dial 988 then Press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255.