40. Community Need American youth are in the midst of an unprecedented mental health crisis, and Montgomery County, Ohio is no exception. According to a Dayton Daily News article in September 2022, over 900 youth were admitted to Dayton Children’s Hospital with depression or suicidal thoughts. Mental Health crises are now the number one reason for admission to the hospital. Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts are especially dangerous for African American children, with African American youth under the age of 13 twice as likely to die by suicide than their Caucasian peers.

As reported in an April 2022 article of the Dayton Daily News, the pandemic has exacerbated the growing crisis. In 2021, 37% of high school students reported poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and an additional 44% reported persistent sadness or hopelessness. Analysis from the CDC states during the pandemic, 55% of youth experienced emotional abuse by an adult in the home; 11% experienced physical abuse by an adult in the home; and 29% reported a parent lost a job. Belonging is essential to youth and young adults’ well being and during the pandemic, only 47% of youth reported feeling close to people at school.

Montgomery County Ohio Community Health Assessment compiled similar statistics. In Montgomery County, Ohio, only 44.4% of youth felt as if they belonged in their school and 11% missed more than 1 day of school due to feeling unsafe on their way to or from school. 29.2% of youth in Montgomery County sought mental health treatment in Montgomery County and 15.8% of youth seriously contemplated suicide in the past month.

Substance use is also a concern in Montgomery County. After being ravaged by the opioid epidemic in 2016-2017, Montgomery County created collaborative agencies and comprehensive programming to stem the tide of opioid abuse and overdose deaths. Though statistics improved, the pandemic contributed to the highest overdose rate since 2018. Substance use, however, is not limited to opioid or other prescription drugs. According to the same Montgomery County Ohio Community Health Assessment, 11.9% of youth ages 12-20 in Montgomery County reported binge use of alcohol in the past month; the national average is 10.6%. Six percent of youth admitted to marijuana use in the past month and 2.7% of the overdose deaths in Montgomery County occurred in young adults between the ages of 19 and 24.

In order to address the growing youth mental health crisis in Montgomery County, Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley proposes a version of its Miracle Clubhouse program tailored to young people’s needs. Miracle Clubhouse, located on GESMV’s Main Street Campus in Downtown Dayton, is a place for individuals with persistent and recurring mental illness to experience community and belonging. Miracle Clubhouse is accredited through the International Clubhouse model and celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2022. Miracle Clubhouse provides members a work-order-day, the opportunity to be an integral part of a community and perform duties around the Clubhouse such as registering members for the day, cooking meals, overseeing the snack cart, and working the garden, among other tasks. It served 382 individuals in 2022. Miracle Clubhouse is a resource for adults seeking community in conjunction with formal mental health treatment. One of the thirty-seven standards that define the Clubhouse model is that Miracle Clubhouse provides job training and opportunities for transitional employment, as well as supported and independent employment. Staff assist members in securing basic needs such as food, referrals to mental health providers, and stable housing. On many occasions, members and their families credit Miracle Clubhouse with saving their lives. Miracle Clubhouse is also a unique training resource for law enforcement and community mental health providers to gain nuanced understanding of those experiencing mental health crises.