Resources for COVID-19

FOOD

If you live in one of the Prosumer areas, each area has a list of places to obtain food.


HOUSING

  Are you worried that your landlord will evict you because you are behind on rent? You are not alone. Millions of people across Texas are threatened with eviction because they can't afford to pay the rent.


Stop TX Eviction is a new online toolkit created through a collaboration between the three main legal aid providers in Texas (Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Lone Star Legal Aid, and Legal Aid of Northwest Texas) and the state legal aid support center, Texas Legal Services Center, with generous funding from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation.


The toolkit helps you:

· Get legal information about the eviction process and your rights.

· Get access to important documents you can give to your landlord or the court.

· Apply for legal assistance from organizations in your area that provide free legal services to qualifying tenants.

· Find out about rental assistance and other resources in your area and how to apply.

· Chat with a real lawyer about your questions regarding eviction.

Evictions are serious legal matters, and they demand urgent attention, because they can have serious consequences for people and their families. This toolkit is intended to help the millions of Texans who might be at risk of eviction to protect their rights, preserve their housing, and avoid homelessness.


Note: The information in this toolkit is not legal advice. This toolkit is only intended to provide legal information, and is not a substitute for the advice of a lawyer.

 

HELP

If you are a Texan with a disability who believes your rights have been violated, please call our Intake Line at 1.800.252.9108 or our Sign Language Video Intake Line at 1.866.362.2851. Intake hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Online Intake Available 24/7   Can't call during our regular intake hours or can't get through due to high call volume? You can click here to complete our online intake form  available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Resources

United Nations Report - June 6, 2017
There is a growing body of resources which are out there for people to use in their work to promote mental health wellness and advocacy. If there is one report you read, I highly recommend this one if you care about mental health. It is everything Mental Health Advocates have been fighting for. Thank you for all you do to empower yourself and others. Click here for the report.

United Nations Report - July 2020
States, civil society, psychiatric organizations and the World Health Organization (WHO) itself must change the way they address mental health challenges, a UN independent rights expert said, calling for a shift towards understanding the context behind mental distress. Click here for the report.

United Nations Article -  The Right to Mental Health

The modern public mental health approach emerged on the global scene at the end of the twentieth century. It contained a critical mass of new evidence on the importance of mental health and the effectiveness of integrated approaches.
Two key messages of the modern public mental-health approach are:

  • there is no health without mental health; and
  • good mental health means much more than the absence of a mental impairment.

This approach still faces enormous challenges. The historical divide—both in policies and practices—between mental and physical health has unfortunately resulted in political, professional and geographical isolation; and marginalization and stigmatization of mental health care. Click here for full article.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages. Download the document here.

Texas Housing Laws 
What is the law around housing in Texas? Maybe this handout will be helpful in understanding Fair Housing and Housing Discrimination. It is in English and Spanish.  Click this Link to open.

Here is a document on your rights on housing from the website Disability.gov. This includes service animals, foreclosure, buying, etc.  Click on this Link to open.
Texas Law on Service Animals 
Here is the latest report on your rights with service animals in Texas. Click here.

Should you Sleep with Your Pet
Here is a website which gives you the Pros and Cons of whether to sleep with your pet so you can make an informed decision. Click here.

Texas Peer Support Specialist and Certification
People with lived experience of mental health issues are called Peers. Peers are finding a place in the mental health workforce because of their lived experience and using that experience to help others. In Texas, Peer Support Specialists find themselves working in basically two areas, Rehab and under the Medicaid Peer Billing doing real peer work. The state of Texas defines Peers here. Peers wishing to be certified as Peer Support Specialists will find all the requirements here.  Also to read the law regarding the Peer Medicaid Bill, click here. For the Texas Administrative Code regarding peers doing Medicaid Rehab Billing, click here.

Bill of Rights in Texas for People in Mental Health Service Click Here

Understanding the feelings after having a baby  Click Here

Resource Portal for the Veterans of Texas. Click Here

Your Rights in Dealing with Police -  This website has all the links, guides and information to your rights when police are involved at home, school, in a car, in public, at the airport, with a gun, at the station, and the basics. A wealth of information on your rights.
For Prosumers with Criminal Justice Involvement, we have complied a list of employers who hire people with this background. Click here. While this list was created for the Houston area, many are national employers who may also follow the same guidelines.  Thanks to Heather for creating this.

Mental Health Acronyms - Here are some cheat sheets to help you as people begin speaking the jargon of mental health. DRT .Acronyms   Texas Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan - Glossary and acronyms

BENZODIAZEPINES:  How they work and how to withdraw  This is a free manual available online to assist. Click here.

 Assertive Outpatient Treatment - A Peer Perspective This is a PowerPoint created for a presentation for professionals on AOT. Click here.

Recommended Websites for Training

Focus for Life - A Promotion of wellness and a Prevention of Relapse training which develops your skills to live life powerfully, on your terms. Click here w to go to the Focus for Life website.
World Health Organization Training Modules for Mental Health and Human Rights.
Click here to go to the WHO website.
Intentional Peer Support - A  training which develops your skills in communication, especially as a peer. Click here to go to the Intentional Peer Support (IPS) website.
International Association of Peer Supporters - An association for Peers with online trainings as well as frequent webinars. Click here to go to their website
Texas Mental Health Resources of Texas (Via Hope) - The original training entity in Texas for Peer Specialists. Click here to go to their website.
Greater Good Science Center - The University of Berkeley has created a Greater Good Science Center. Find the science of Happiness. Click here to go to their website.