Carol, a Horizon House individual spoke to golfers at the 24th Annual Golf Outing about deeply personal aspects of her life. Carol was a practicing attorney, married with children, who experienced very difficult and challenging times in her life.”Three years ago this month I was living on a grate in front of Wawa with my dog.” Carol who suffers from mental illness was hospitalized. Fortunately, she received the help and support needed.”I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel…now I have my own apartment and even a puppy.” Carol is planning to practice law again and advocate for those suffering from mental illness. No one was left untouched by Carol’s words. Many commented that what happened in her life could happen to anyone of us or someone we love. Thank you, Carol, for sharing your experiences with us to better understand the difficulties and hardships of living with mental illness.

Department of Human Services (DHS) State Secretary Ted Dallas met with Philadelphia provider agencies, families, and the Horizon House community on May 25, 2016. The event, “Conversation with the Secretary,” was sponsored by State Representatives Stephen Kinsey (D-201) and Rosita Youngblood (D-198). Secretary Dallas responded earnestly to concerns and questions ranging from affordable housing, staff wages, adequate funding, resource allocations, to healthcare access and assistance for aging parents living with disabled adult children. He informed the listeners of the proposed increase in the allocation for Human Services in the 2017 budget that will expand access to quality health care and services in Pennsylvania. Secretary Dallas continued by saying, “We understand, when we make our decisions, that the folks we’re serving are somebody’s brother, somebody’s child, somebody’s mother if we forget that when doing our job we’re going to miss something. These are people, and they need our help, that’s our job.”