Direct Services

Peer Support Services

You don’t have to go through it alone. We’re here—and we get it.

Our Peer Support Program offers one-on-one support from Certified Peer Specialists—individuals who have lived through mental health challenges, are actively progressing in their own recovery, and have completed specialized training to help others.

They’ve been where you are. They understand. And they’re ready to walk alongside you as you move forward—at your own pace, and in the areas you choose to focus on.

Whether you’re feeling stuck, isolated, or unsure where to begin, Peer Support can offer hope, guidance, and encouragement grounded in real-life experience and professional preparation.

Your Certified Peer Specialist can support you in:

  • Setting and achieving your personal goals

  • Building confidence and coping skills

  • Exploring community resources

  • Strengthening relationships and support systems

You’re not alone—and things can get better.

Getting started is simple.
If you live in Franklin or Fulton Counties and receive services through Franklin/Fulton MH/IDD/EI or Medical Assistance, you may qualify.

Call us at (717) 264-4301 to learn more. The application process only takes a few minutes.

The Housing Program

A stable place to live is the foundation for recovery—and we’re here to help you get there.

Our Housing Program supports individuals with Medical Assistance who are experiencing a housing need. Whether you’re at risk of losing your home, currently unhoused, or searching for a more stable living situation, we can walk beside you on the path to secure and maintain housing.

We understand that navigating housing resources can be overwhelming. That’s why our team works directly with you to explore options, overcome barriers, and move toward housing that works for your life and your goals.

We can help with:

  • Finding safe, affordable housing

  • Keeping your current housing

  • Navigating landlord relationships

  • Building the skills to maintain independence

  • Connecting with community resources

We also partner with the Franklin County Housing Authority to help eligible individuals access Bridge Vouchers, a resource for those waiting for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers.

Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. Let us help you find yours.

To learn more or see if you qualify, call us at (717) 264-4301.

HelpLine

Need to Talk? We’re Here.

Feeling anxious? Overwhelmed? Just need someone to listen?
Call the HelpLine at 717-264-2916.

Our HelpLine is staffed by trained Call Specialists—people who get it because they’ve been there. Whether you’re facing a crisis, feeling isolated, or just need a little reassurance, we’re here to offer support, understanding, and hope.

You don’t have to go through it alone.

  • Open every day of the year, including holidays

  • Available from 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM

  • We’re here—even during bad weather

No judgment. No pressure. Just someone to talk to when you need it most.

Reach out. We’re ready to listen.

View our Brochure

Stay Connected with Senior Reach

You don’t have to feel alone. A simple phone call can make a big difference.

Senior Reach is here to support older adults by offering regular, friendly phone calls that help reduce stress, ease loneliness, and prevent feelings of depression. Our trained Call Specialists check in each week, offering conversation, connection, and care.

Sometimes, just knowing someone is there can brighten your day.

Here’s what to expect:

  • Weekly phone calls from a trained, compassionate Call Specialist

  • A chance to talk, share, or simply hear a friendly voice

  • No mental health diagnosis required—just a desire for connection

Who can participate?
Senior Reach is available to adults age 60 or older who give their consent to participate.

Want to learn more or sign up a loved one?
Call us at 717-264-4301. We’d love to connect.

View our Brochure and Referral Form

Advocacy Services

Community Support Program

The Community Support Program (CSP) is a coalition of individuals with lived experience, family members, mental health professionals, advocates, and community members working together to support people living with:

  • Serious mental illness

  • Co-occurring disorders, such as substance use

  • Intellectual and developmental disabilities

Our shared mission is to help individuals live successfully and independently in the community, with dignity, choice, and support.

Part of a statewide initiative launched in 1984, the local CSP coalition began in May 2000 and is proud to be part of the Central Region, which includes several neighboring counties.

What CSP Does:

Through collaboration and community involvement, CSP has:

  • Funded innovative trainings and wellness conferences

  • Supported anti-stigma campaigns and public awareness efforts

  • Hosted special events like the annual CSP Art Show

  • Helped individuals grow into advocates and leaders

  • Created and distributed educational literature on mental health topics

Why It Matters:

CSP is more than a program—it’s a movement of people working side by side to ensure that recovery is possible, support is accessible, and every voice is heard.

View our Brochure

Go to the CSP Page

Community Advocacy

We’re here to help you navigate the system—and stand by your side.

At MHAFF, we offer advocacy services to support individuals who need help accessing the services and supports they deserve. Whether you’re having trouble finding the right provider, understanding your options, or getting connected to appropriate resources, we’re here to assist.

Our advocates work with community members to:

  • Identify needs and goals

  • Navigate mental health systems

  • Connect you with providers and agencies

  • Ensure voices are heard and rights are respected

If you’re facing barriers or don’t know where to turn, you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Call us at 717-264-4301 to connect with an advocate who can help.

Peer Recovery Resource Center
Supporting Your Journey to Recovery

The Peer Recovery Resource Center at MHAFF, funded by the Opioid Remediation Grant, provides a safe and welcoming space for individuals in recovery from substance use disorders (SUD). Located in Chambersburg and Waynesboro, the center offers a variety of activities designed to support recovery, foster community, and promote personal growth.

What We Offer:

  • Social Activities that provide a sense of connection and belonging

  • Learning Activities focused on building skills for long-term recovery

  • Support Groups led by peers who understand and have walked the path of recovery themselves

The center is open two days a week in Chambersburg and one day a week in Waynesboro, offering a flexible schedule for those seeking support.

Whether you’re looking to meet others on the recovery journey, learn new coping strategies, or simply find a supportive environment, the Peer Recovery Resource Center is here for you.

Join us and be part of a community that supports your recovery every step of the way.

Satisfaction Survey Services

Individual Family Satisfaction Team (IFST)

Your Voice Matters – Help Improve Mental Health Services with IFST

The Individual Family Satisfaction Team (IFST) helps ensure that mental health services truly meet the needs of the people they serve—by asking the people who use them.

We create and conduct surveys that ask important questions like:

  • “Do you feel your provider listens to you?”

  • “Are you treated with respect?”

These surveys are developed in partnership with:

  • Individuals who receive services

  • Family members

  • Service providers

  • County MH/IDD/EI staff

  • MHAFF team members

  • Our advisory committee

Each survey focuses on one provider or a specific area of community need. Surveys are conducted by phone or face-to-face, depending on what works best.

After collecting responses, the IFST team:

  1. Analyzes the results

  2. Creates a report of findings

  3. Shares the results in a public meeting open to all

These findings help Franklin/Fulton MH/IDD/EI and service providers identify what’s working—and where improvements can be made.

MHAFF is proud to lead these surveys for county-funded mental health programs in Franklin and Fulton Counties.

Your experiences matter. By sharing them, you help improve services for everyone.

View our Brochure

Managed Care Surveys in Franklin/Fulton Counties

IFST conducts surveys for the Tuscorora Managed Care Alliance in Franklin & Fulton counties. These surveys are conducted on an ongoing basis. Each entity provides IFST with a confidential list of names of service recipients. From those lists we randomly choose names of individuals to survey as to their satisfaction for all services that are paid for through medical assistance. The results are tallied each month. Quarterly and yearly reports are provided that help improve services and system processes. Survey recipients are also able to communicate about issues that need immediate attention and through this process many problems are resolved.

 

Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q)

MHAFF conducts interviews with recipients of developmental disability services in Franklin and Fulton Counties. The survey results are tallied and analyzed by state analysts who write an annual report on the satisfaction of service recipients with their providers.

Education Services

Information & Referral

Need help finding a provider or information on mental illness? Call us at 717-264-4301. We can help.

Publications

MHAFF has many publications that can be emailed directly to your computer. We also can direct you to multitudes of on-line libraries to help you learn about mental wellness.

I’m The Evidence Campaign

We’re Proud to Be the Evidence

MHAFF is a proud participant in the I’m The Evidence (ITE) Mental Health Campaign—a grassroots movement that reminds us all of the powerful role we play in supporting mental health recovery.

ITE is about honoring human potential, creating opportunities, and offering encouragement.

It celebrates:

  • Individuals who are living proof that recovery is possible

  • Supporters who walk alongside them—friends, family, providers, communities, and organizations who offer hope, connection, and belief

You can be the evidence, too.
Every encouraging word, open mind, and act of support helps change lives.

To learn more about the ITE campaign and how you can get involved, contact MHAFF at 717-264-4301.

Let’s be the evidence—together.

Special Events

Walk the Walk

Each year MHAFF holds a local walk campaign to increase awareness of mental illness and to recognize all persons that have been touched by mental illness in our community. This event is called “Walk the Walk”. Folks from all walks of life take part and include individuals with lived experience, family members, mental health professionals, public officials and supporters of the mental health cause.

Over 300 participants, representing many agencies, organizations and programs, from Franklin County and all across Central Pennsylvania attend each year’s event. The Walk reaches many people with news coverage provided by the print media.

The walk takes place in the Borough of Chambersburg. There is a program with several speakers, the reading of the mental health month proclamation and a kick-off ceremony. Each walker is given a commemorative T-shirt to wear during the walk and throughout the year thereafter. Walkers are given refreshments along the route and enjoy dinner and entertainment at its completion.

Go to the event page

Wellness Conferences

MHAFF holds wellness conferences each year in both Franklin & Fulton Counties. Hundreds of topics have been presented by local, regional and nationally known speakers. Contact MHAFF for more information if you would like to attend or be considered to facilitate a session at our next conference.

Suicide Prevention Coalitions of Franklin and Fulton Counties

Suicide Prevention Coalition of Franklin and Fulton Counties

The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Franklin and Fulton Counties focuses on Data collection and prevention activities.

  • Data Collection: Disparate sources of data within the county are analyzed to determine the appropriate level of services needed to address suicide in our community.
  • Prevention Activities: MHAFF provides training on two intervention techniques: Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR) and Working Minds: Suicide Prevention in the workplace.

View our Brochure

Online QPR Training Link

Suicide Prevention Page

 

Suicide Intervention Training

MHAFF has certified instructors who provide training in two different types of evidence-based intervention models.

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer – 3 simple steps that anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year thousands of Americans, like you, are saying “Yes” to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor. QPR can be learned in our Gatekeeper course in as little as one hour.

Vital Cog: Suicide Prevention in the Workplace -This 2-hour training gives participants the tools and skills to appreciate the critical need for suicide prevention while creating a forum for dialogue and critical thinking about workplace mental health challenges. The program builds a business case for suicide prevention while promoting help-seeking and help-giving.

Vital Cog was developed to address a gap in suicide prevention programming for those of working age. The toolkit was built on best practices and the insights of mental health service providers, human resource professionals, and top suicide prevention experts from across the country.

Scheduled Intervention Trainings

Contact us at 717- 264-4301 for a current listing of trainings or to schedule a training.

Go to trainings page