Guilford County to host fifth annual mental health resource fair

When a Guilford County resident needs counseling, crisis help or a substance-use referral, the hardest part is often knowing where to start. The county will try to make that first step easier at its fifth annual Mental Health Resource Fair, set for Saturday, May 2, from noon to 4 p.m. at 925 Third St. in Greensboro.

Guilford County is holding the fair with Alexander Youth Network in the parking lot of the organization’s Greensboro site, a setup that puts service providers in a familiar neighborhood setting instead of a government building. County officials say the goal is to promote mental wellness, connect residents with support services and reduce stigma around mental health and substance misuse.

The timing is no accident. The fair is part of Mental Health Awareness Month, which was founded in 1949 by Mental Health America and has been recognized every May to encourage mental wellness and reduce stigma. By placing the event in early May, the county is using the month’s attention on prevention and education to draw people toward actual services, not just awareness campaigns.

What makes the event more practical than symbolic is the mix of organizations expected to be there. Residents should be able to talk with groups such as Trillium Health Resources, RHA Health Services, Therapeutic Alternatives, NAMI Guilford, Women’s Resource Center of Greensboro, Senior Resources of Guilford and Triad Mental Health Partners. That matters for families juggling different needs, from youth behavioral care to older-adult support, because it turns a vague search for help into face-to-face navigation with providers who already work in the county.

The county also says the fair will include music, games and food trucks, a family-friendly approach meant to lower the barrier for people who might not otherwise walk into a mental-health event. The idea is to make the setting feel less like a formal intake process and more like a community gathering where people can ask questions without pressure.

County materials direct residents to GuilfordCountyNC.gov/MentalHealth for information on the Guilford County Behavioral Health Center and other mental and behavioral health resources. The fair is the latest sign that the county is trying to build a more visible front door to services that are often hard to find when stress, addiction or a mental-health crisis hits.

Guilford County held a similar resource fair last year at the Guilford County Behavioral Health Center, 931 Third St. in Greensboro, and described it as its fourth consecutive year of the event. This year’s return to Third Street shows the county is treating access to mental-health care as an ongoing need, not a one-day outreach effort.