Outreach Programs

Outreach and support are important components of our work as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). Mobile response is available in a behavioral health crisis, but outreach teams are also visible in the community, providing support and preventative services for behavioral health and housing needs. We are also a Regional Access Point (RAP) for emergency shelter and housing placement in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island Outreach (RIO)

Crisis Assessment and De-escalation

Rhode Island Outreach (RIO) teams respond to behavioral health crises. The aim is to assess and de-escalate a crisis and develop a safety plan to connect the individual to services, avoiding unnecessary hospitalization or law enforcement involvement.

Help is Available Where You Are

Each RIO team consists of a trained behavioral specialist and a medical specialist, who come to you in a specially equipped van. The teams also work proactively in the community, visiting shelters and public spaces with the goal of meeting people where they are and working to prevent future crises by connecting people to services when needed. The RIO team provides:

Help for those experiencing emotional distress
Substance use recovery assistance and referrals
Support for those feeling hopeless or helpless, thinking there is nowhere to turn
Preventative outreach to vulnerable populations

You can call for yourself or if you see/know someone who is in crisis.

Who is RIO for?

Those in crisis with mental health or substance use concerns or in need of supportive outreach

Quick Facts

Street Outreach

Housing First: Placement & Stability Support

Street Outreach is a Housing First Program. Team members are out in the community, engaging individuals in housing search, placement, and stabilization.

The goal of this service is to complete a successful housing plan, individually tailored to the client’s needs and goals. Working closely with community partners, the housing plan strives for permanent housing situations and encompasses increased access to community supports and mainstream benefits, vocational support for obtaining employment, and access to Newport Mental Health’s behavioral health services when clinically indicated.

The team includes the client’s family supports when possible, to help sustain housing, income, and recovery goals.

Who is Street Outreach for?

Unhoused or unstably housed individuals in Newport County

Quick Facts

Regional Access Point (RAP)

Emergency Housing & Support in Newport County and Surrounding Areas

Newport Mental Health is a Regional Access Point (RAP) for housing assistance in Rhode Island, in partnership with the Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing (EOH).

We’re here to connect individuals and families who have lost their home, or who are at risk of losing their home, with:

Emergency shelter
Housing stabilization
Supportive services that promote safety, stability, and well-being

Our team will:

Help you find shelter when you need it most
Support your transition from homelessness to stable housing
Work with you to stay in your home if you’re at risk of losing it

We offer personalized case management to meet your unique needs. We can help with employment, accessing mental health and substance use services, and connection to local resources that can make a difference.

Who is RAP for?

Those who are unhoused and seeking emergency shelter, and those at risk of losing their home

Quick Facts

Outreach Programs

Mobile outreach and support are important components of our work as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). Mobile response is critical in a crisis, but outreach teams are also visible in the community, providing support and preventative services.

Rhode Island Outreach (RIO)

Rhode Island Outreach (RIO) teams are designed to quickly respond to behavioral health crises. The aim is to assess and de-escalate a crisis and develop a safety plan to connect the individual to services, avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations or law enforcement involvement.

Each RIO team consists of a trained behavioral specialist and a medical specialist, who come to you in a specially equipped van. The teams also work proactively in the community, visiting shelters and public spaces with the goal meeting people where they are and working to prevent future crises by connecting people to services when needed.

Who is RIO for?

Those in crisis with mental health or substance use concerns or in need of supportive outreach

Quick Facts

Street Outreach

Street Outreach is a mobile Housing First Program. Team members are out in the community, engaging individuals in housing search, placement, and stabilization. The goal of this service is to complete a successful housing plan, individually tailored to the client’s needs and goals. Working closely with community partners, the housing plan strives for permanent housing situations and encompasses increased access to community supports and mainstream benefits, vocational support for obtaining employment, and access to Newport Mental Health’s behavioral health services when clinically indicated. The team includes the client’s family supports when possible, to help sustain housing, income, and recovery goals.

Who is Street Outreach for?

Unhoused or unstably housed individuals in Newport County