“Whoever said anybody has the right to give up?” Marian Wright Edelman
NC CANSO hopes to help you with resources that we continue to learn about. Please note that this effort is a work in progress and lists mostly national resources. The section on state-level resources is listed first. Both sections will continue to grow and we welcome submissions of resources to add. Please email them to lauriecoker@bellsouth.net
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Contacting State Leadership (by Martha Brock)
Contacting State Legislators:
- By telephone: All legislative offices can be reached through the legislative switchboard – (919) 733-4111.
- By e-mail: Legislative e-mail addresses follow the pattern of <first name dot last name@ncleg.net>. (Example: Speaker Thom Tillis’ address is Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net.) If you have any question about the spelling of your legislator’s name or whether your legislator’s e-mail address uses a nickname, you can confirm addresses at the General Assembly’s web site: www.ncleg.net. Click on “House” or “Senate” and look for Member Lists.
- By postal service mail: All legislators can be addressed at: North Carolina General Assembly, Raleigh, NC 27601-1096. To find out who your legislators are, go to the General Assembly’s web site: www.ncleg.net. Look for “Who Represents Me?” near the top of the homepage. You will find a variety of ways to search, including through your nine-digit ZIP Code. (And there’s a link to the Postal Service if you don’t know yours.)
- For those without Internet access, local Boards of Elections can be asked for assistance.
- Needing legislative information? A wealth of information is available at the General Assembly’s web site: www.ncleg.net. Look for bill information, texts of all bills, current status and legislative history for bills, information on all members (including e-mail addresses, office telephone numbers, etc.), committee memberships, calendars for the next legislative day, legislative districts, and links to state government agencies. You can even listen in on floor sessions.
- Bill Status: You can get the current status of a bill by calling (919) 733-7779. This is not a toll-free call.
To Contact the Governor:
- By phone: (919) 733-4240 (Raleigh Number)
- By Fax: (919) 733-2120
- By mail: Governor Bev Perdue/ Office of the Governor/ 20301 Mail Service Center/ Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
- By e-mail: governor.office@nc.gov
MARTHA BROCK
Politics and Government Writer
Examiner.com/Raleigh
Skype incoming calls: (919)229-9998
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Other State Level Resources:
NAMI North Carolina www.naminc.org
NC Mental Hope www.ncmentalhope.org
NCMHCO (North Carolina Mental Health Consumers Organization) www.ncmhco.org
NC Council on Developmental Disabilities www.nccdd.org
For persons who are mental health consumers, survivors or ex-patients . . .
Georgia Mental Health Consumers Network Excellent example of strong consumer organizing in another state here in the Southeast. www.gmhcn.org
Mental Health America Formerly known as the Mental Health Association. NC has local community-based affiliates. Focused on improving lives of persons with mental illness www.nmha.org
Mental Health Recovery The goals fo Mental Health Recovery and Wrap are to teach participants recovery and self-management skills and strategies for dealing with mental illness. www.mentalhealthrevocery.com
National Association of Peer Specialists Dedicated to promoting the role of peer specialists throughout the United States and to improve the effectiveness of the mental health system through the use of peer support as a service. www.naps.org
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Advocacy, education, and support with an active Consumer Council. Has an active North Carolina affiliate. www.NAMI.org
National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center Provides helps to support consumer involvement in change, including consumer run evaluation materials. www.ncstac.org
National Empowerment Center Recovery is real. This website is filled with practical information that will help you recover if you have been labeled with a mental illness. www.power2u.org
National Mental Health Consumers Self-Help Clearinghouse Connects individuals to self–help and advocacy resources, and offers expertise to assist in self- and systems advocacy. Also, resources for persons who are hearing impaired. www.mhselfhelp.org
For persons with developmental disabilities . . .
Quality Mall Exhaustive resource of tools and services that promote inclusion, self-determination, self-advocacy, and service quality for persons with developmental disabilities. www.qualitymall.org
Self Advocates Becoming Empowered National organization of self-advocates focusing on the full inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in the community throughout the 50 states and the world. www.sabeusa.org
For persons with alcohol or drug addiction . . .
Association of Persons Affected by Addiction Based in Dallas, Texas, this org is an excellent resource for its experience in learning what a recovery community truly is. http://www.apaa.org
Faces and Voices of Recovery National organization of individuals and organizations joining together to support local, state, regional and national recovery advocacy, education, and support. Focuses on long-term recovery from addiction. www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org
NC CANSO 