Starting in the Hood Agency’s roots are in Philadelphia he story of Men and Women For Human
Two years ago, Johnson was able to obtain a federal grant from SAMSHA to provide counseling and treatment for individuals with HIV and hepatitis C. In September, SAMSHA awarded MWFHE another grant, to provide housing for chronically homeless individuals su ering from co-occurring substance abuse and mental health problems. Now, “MWFHE has developed into a complete social service agency, ”Johnson says. At one of its locations, it has 24-hour sta on-site to provide housing, transportation and other services to about 250 to 300 treatment clients per year. Today, MWFHE's primary service area is North Central Philadelphia, although the agency still receives plenty of referrals from courts and individuals in Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Several years ago, Johnson decided to open a treatment center in Decatur, after a friend of his mentioned a high rate of addiction and crime in Georgia, particularly the Atlanta area. He did some research, took a tour of the area, and opened in January, 2015. In the near future, Johnson hopes to expand into another area in need, in Melbourne, Fla.
Excellence (MWFHE) dates back to an inner city neighborhood in North Philadelphia where two friends in recovery, Keith Johnson and the late Kenny Ali – got the idea to “do something positive for the community,” in Johnson's words. “It was really Kenny's idea. We started very small. We hustled.” With a master's degree in social work, in 2001 Johnson was working as director of a shelter program for a Philadelphia County agency. He and Ali found and renovated a small building – which formerly housed doctors and dentists o ces -- and started with an after-school tutoring program for kids in need. Seeking to do more, they started an outpatient addiction treatment program for adults and adolescents, with space in a former dentist's o ce. en, Johnson and Ali became aware of a great need for addiction treatment services in the city of Baltimore, and began recruiting patients from that city, New Jersey and Delaware. Using their own funds, they were able to rent a nine-bedroom house to accommodate male clients. A year later they opened a house for women, and now provide transitional housing for up to 85 clients at a time. e year 2015 was a turning point for the agency, as MWFHE joined Pennsylavania’s Medicaid provider network, enabling them to bill for addiction treatment services. ey became a Medicaid-certi ed mental health provider in 2016. Becoming Medicaid-eligible
“Many people need treatment, but it’s only for the ones that want it.” - KEITH JOHNSON
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