PASCO, Wash. — This spring, Lutheran Community Services Northwest will expand to Pasco.
Chelsea Klicker, communications specialist for LCS NW, said the Washington Department of Commerce awarded them a $510,000 grant, which allowed them to secure the building on Bedford Street in Pasco.
With lockdowns and remote learning, Klicker said the pandemic has put a strain on the mental health of young people.
“The challenges that children faced 15 or 20 years ago are nowhere near the challenges that children face today,” Klicker said.
Therapists at LCS NW in the Tri-Cities work with people ages three to 21 with serious behavioral or mental health issues.
Klicker said they’ve been busy all day.
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“We see kids on a very broad spectrum of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, self-harm, all sorts of things like that. Some of those kids are the most intense situations we’ve seen in the last twenty years,” Klicker explained.
Their expansion into Pasco will give them more space to serve existing clients in the Franklin County area and reach more people who need help in rural areas north of Pasco.
“We are excited to be in the community they live in and to be more accessible to them. This will be an expansion office for us, but we look forward to continuing to grow our services from this new office,” said Klicker.
Lutheran Community Services Northwest plans to help more people join their sage programalso known as Wrap Around with Intensive Services.
“Whoever is involved in that child’s life to make sure that everyone is on the same team and that we all work together with that family to help them provide the specific services and supports they need as well as create the success they they want. they have for their life”, Klicker explained what WISE is.
Klicker said they are trying to serve many children and teens who need help, as well as their families.
They also offer a program called SWIFT, which can connect families with immediate help as they develop a long-term care plan.
“We really put a lot of effort into our programs to not keep kids on waiting lists because we know some situations can’t wait,” she said.
LCW Northwest will hold an open house at its Pasco location on March 31 and expects to open its doors in April.
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