Comprehensive Mental Health Support Where It’s Needed Most
The Mental Health Program at Hope Center in Lexington, KY provides essential psychiatric care, counseling, and supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges and addiction. SHARE—Support, Housing, Advocacy, Recovery, and Empowerment—serves as a vital safety net for some of the community’s most vulnerable residents.
About the Mental Health Program
Since its founding, SHARE has worked to break down barriers that keep individuals with serious mental illness from receiving consistent treatment. Our mission is to provide integrated care that addresses both behavioral health and housing instability. Through licensed clinicians, case managers, and peer mentors, SHARE offers a compassionate, structured environment for recovery.
Services Offered
Participants in SHARE benefit from a wide range of mental health services, including:
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- Psychiatric care with medication management.
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- Individual and group counseling for trauma, depression, anxiety, and co-occurring disorders.
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- Peer-led support groups that build community and reduce isolation.
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- Case management to connect clients with housing, recovery programs, and healthcare partners.
Addressing Homelessness & Mental Health
Mental illness and homelessness are often deeply intertwined. Many clients come to SHARE facing both psychiatric needs and unstable housing. By providing clinical care alongside housing navigation and recovery support, SHARE addresses the root causes that prevent long-term stability.
Every year, many Kentuckians receive Medicaid-supported mental health or addiction treatment, while others engage in syringe exchange programs statewide. SHARE is part of this larger safety net, ensuring Lexington residents have access to care when it matters most.
Pathways Beyond the Mental Health Program
Recovery is not one-size-fits-all. SHARE helps individuals transition into:
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- Housing programs for long-term stability.
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- Addiction recovery programs, including residential and outpatient services at Hope Center.
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- Healthcare partnerships, ensuring continuity of psychiatric and medical care.
By connecting participants with broader resources, SHARE empowers clients to reclaim independence and rebuild their lives.
How You Can Help
The SHARE program thrives through community support. You can help by:
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- Donating to expand access to care.
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- Advocating for mental health and housing initiatives.
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- Volunteering to support program operations or client services.
Your support ensures that those living with mental illness and homelessness in Lexington have a path forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Payee services, medication management, housing support, transitional/sober living, supportive case management, psychoeducational groups, life-skills assessment and training, job training (peer mentor track), group therapy, community referrals to mental health, medical and educational services and 12-step meetings.
Yes. Part of being in the Mental Health/Dual Diagnosis Program at the Hope Center involves clients keeping regularly-scheduled appointments with a counselor and psychiatric prescriber . Scheduled medications like benzodiazepines and opioid medications are banned from property. A full list of banned medications will be provided upon request. Once medication is prescribed, we can help you get the prescription filled and will monitor when you take it to verify compliance.
At this time, we are only accepting referrals through the Department of Corrections for our Mental Health Program. As that changes, we will update this information.
Not immediately. However, we have 4 single rooms reserved for clients who are assigned to support their peers with specific roles and duties.
The SHARE Program has staff specifically trained and certified to help any qualifying client with the application process through the SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) track. SOAR seeks to end homelessness through increased access to SSI/SSDI income support. This process aims to help qualifying individuals get approved for SSI/SSDI within 90 days while it normally takes 2-3 years to go through the process of applying for disability by yourself or with an attorney.
SSI, or Supplemental Security Income, is a low-income program that assists individuals who are disabled and have not paid enough into Social Security to qualify for regular Social Security disability. In this program, your situation may be reviewed periodically to make sure you are still eligible. SSDI, or Social Security Disability Income, is for individuals who have paid enough to Social Security to qualify for regular disability. Some people receive a combination of both SSI and SSDI, and others receive only one or the other – the type of assistance you receive depends on how much you have worked.
Yes. College and University student practicums are available to students interested in a career in Human Services, Social Work, Psychiatry or Psychology. Our facility provides supervision hours by a Social Worker or clinical counselor in either the Men or Women’s Recovery Program or the Mental Health/Dual Diagnosis Program. For more information, contact Substance Use Disorder Clinician, Emily Lange, at (859) 225-4673 ext. 108 or elange@hopect.org or Mental Health Coordinator, Shawn Luchtefeld at (859) 543-2222 ext. 26 or sluchetefeld@hopectr.org. Typically practicum student positions are based on needs, experience and availability.