Howard Center


Howard Center is a Burlington, Vermont-based nonprofit organization that offers professional crisis and counseling services to children and adults; supportive services to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities who need help with education, employment, and life maintenance skills; counseling and medical services for those struggling with substance use disorders; and interventions and supports for adults with serious and persistent mental health challenges in Chittenden County, Vermont's most populous county. Howard Center collaborates with many community partners and is a funded agency of the United Way of Northwest Vermont.
Services and supports are community-based and provided in more than 60 locations, including area schools, hospitals, emergency rooms, and client homes, in addition to Howard Center offices and residential homes. In 2018, Howard Center's professional staff of 1,500 helped more than 16,000 people, primarily in Chittenden County, but also in the other Vermont counties of Franklin, Grand Isle, and Rutland.

History

Founded in 1865 as the Home for Destitute Children, Howard Center is now the largest of Vermont's designated agencies representing Vermont's System of Care.
It is currently the largest community-based center in Vermont and one of the largest in New England. Two significant events in the organization's history occurred in 1966 and in 1994. In 1966 the agency received its designation as the community mental health center for Chittenden County under the federal Community Mental Health Act of 1963. In 1994, the Howard Center for Human Services, merged with Champlain Drug and Alcohol Services, and The Baird Center for Children and Families into one organization, forming Howard Center today.
In 2009, they were criticized, along with several other state-dependent agencies, for appearing to overpay officers and directors.

Crisis services

First Call for Chittenden County: 802-488-7777
The organization maintains First Call for Chittenden County, a 24/7 crisis hotline for Chittenden County residents experiencing a non-medical crisis.

Specialized programs

The organization operates four specialized therapeutic schools:
When the Chittenden Clinic was established in 2002, it was the first medication assisted treatment clinic for opioid addiction in Vermont. From July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018, the Clinic provided treatment and support to 1,342 individuals.
Safe Recovery serves people who are currently using cocaine, heroin, or who are in early recovery from opioid dependence. Services include syringe exchange, low-barrier distribution to buprenorphine, fentanyl test strips, drug treatment options counseling, HIV and hepatitis C testing and referrals, hepatitis A and B vaccination, distribution of Naloxone overdose rescue kits, corrections outreach, basic needs assistance, advocacy, and other recovery support services. All services are offered free of charge, and many can be accessed anonymously. From July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018, 1,236 individuals visited Safe Recovery.
In December 2013, Safe Recovery began distributing Naloxone kits to reverse overdoses from opioids. Since then, 1,357 overdose reversals have been reported from the kits the program distributed.
Although the goal of all Howard Center programs is to help individuals and families live healthy lives as independently as possible, several programs provide specific support for individuals with intellectual disabilities including autism.
From July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018, Howard Center provided support to 9,349 clients. Of those, 2,538 were new clients.
In addition, Howard Center annually provides support to thousands of individuals in the community who receive services without officially enrolling as a client.
Several Howard Center programs offer treatment and support services that reduce the request for services from other city organizations and departments. For example, Howard Center's Street Outreach and Community Outreach Programs reduce reliance on the Police Department to respond to calls in the downtown area that are primarily the result of social service needs.

Awards

The Center has been recognized by the following organizations:
As a Designated Agency within Vermont's System of Care, Howard Center participates in an extensive re-designation process every three years, most recently in 2015. The System of Care establishes a geographic region for each DA to establish, provide, coordinate, and administer services and supports for people for whom it is designated to assure services. The review process ensures minimum standards are met to provide publicly funded supports and that administrative rules and outcomes are met.

Accreditation

Howard Center's Chittenden Clinic, which provide medication assisted treatment for individuals with opioid dependence, received a three-year accreditation in 2015 from CARF International. The Clinic is affiliated with the University of Vermont Medical Center and the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

Affiliations and partnerships

In addition to the programs and services offered by Howard Center, the agency collaborates with numerous community partners to expand the support it offers to individuals and communities. Key examples include:
The organization has a budget of $90 million. Over 90% of services are state funded.
Nearly 80% of the organization's budget is allocated for workforce, for both regular and contracted employees.
In 2014, Vermont Business Magazine ranked Howard Center as the 11th largest employer in the state by employee roster.
In 2018, the President of Howard Center was Michael Simoneau.

Footnotes