ITHACA, N.Y. (WHCU) – Two local organizations that provide mental health services will receive grants.

Guthrie’s Community Benefit Grant Program has announced that $5,000 has been awarded to Family and Children’s Service of Ithaca. The money will support its clinical internship program, which provides high-quality education and hands-on learning. The internship program also seeks to bring new providers to the area and improve access to mental health care in the community. Officials say Family and Children’s Service of Ithaca served 1,289 people in 2022 alone.

The Potter’s Hands Foundation in Corning is also receiving $5,000 for its mental health coaching program, which supports women who have survived sex trafficking. The program’s goal is to provide a safe space to heal and teach skills needed for self-reliance and reintegration into independent living. It’s the only 12-month residential treatment facility of its kind in the Southern Tier and Western New York.

The projects that received funding were chosen based on Guthrie’s Community Health Needs Assessment.