Published on April 1, 2024 at 1:44 pm
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An advocacy organization for people with intellectual disabilities is opening a new facility in Jacksonville for those with additional mental health issues.
The ARC Jacksonville opened the new facility, The Lodges, off Hodges Boulevard. It features six individual apartments, each with a kitchenette and bathroom, in addition to a shared living space.
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Residents will receive mental health services and consultations with a psychiatrist. Kari Bates, president of The Arc Jacksonville, says the setup allows residents to live independently while also preventing problems from developing.
“But then there’s always an outreach type part to it, where we do try to partner with our local law enforcement, community partners, and do two-sided training, of what we know and what they know so that whenever we have an interaction in the community that people can know how to respond appropriately,” Bates said on First Coast Connect.
The Lodge is the first licensed “residential option” in Florida for people with developmental differences with a secondary mental health diagnosis.
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Go here to hear the entire First Coast Connect interview with Kari Bates, or catch it when it encores at 8 p.m. Monday on WJCT News 89.9.
