Every time you pay your real estate taxes, you get an itemized list of each of the taxing bodies that make up the total bill. Some people read this list religiously; others just look at the total. Few, however, fully understand the references to the Mental Health Board what it is, what it does, and why you re lucky to have one in Hanover Township.
 

The Illinois Constitution allows for the creation of 708 Boards, based on the passage of a referendum by voters in the area to be served. (The term 708 refers to the section of the Constitution that describes these boards their duties, composition, and responsibilities.) Hanover Township was one of only a few Cook County townships to do so and the Hanover Township Mental Health Board has been in existence since 1977.
 

The Board is composed of volunteers ordinary citizens who ve chosen to become part of the process of providing services to people with developmental disabilities like Down Syndrome, mental illness or substance abuse. The Board generally meets on the third Tuesday of the month helping our elected officials find ways to provide Township residents with services they need but may not have access to on their own. Board members come from all parts of the Township and we all have different family and job situations, and the one thing that ties us together is a commitment to using the tax dollars you provide to benefit the greatest number of people.
 

The Board manages the Hanover Township Community Resource Center, located in the industrial park west of Barrington Road It funds a number of agencies that provide direct services to Township residents whether those services involve counseling, job training, transportation, or treatment. In other sections of this website, you ll find information about several current projects. The Board sponsors or co-sponsors a number of public information programs designed to let more people know about the services that are available.
 

Interestingly enough, the Board does all of this in relative anonymity. Most residents don't know it exists. Even fewer know the names of the volunteers who serve without compensation on the Board. Still fewer have ever attended a Mental Health Board meeting. While the Board prefers that more people become involved in what it does, that might not be possible, and that s okay. The Board just wants you to know that it is working so that if you, or a member of your family, should ever find yourself in need of services, you ll know that you have a group of neighbors committed to making sure that those services are available conveniently, right here in Hanover Township.

                Recognizing the severe financial impact caused by the uncertainty of the current economic state in Illinois, the Hanover Township Mental Health Board amended its budget to increase the availability of funds as well as the ability of its partner agencies to request emergency funds. The Hanover Township Fiscal Year 2011 ended March 31, 2011.  The Mental Health Board was able to help the following agencies with Capital, Staff Development, Challenge, and Emergency grant funding: 

 

For more information on available grant opportunities, please contact the Hanover Township Mental Health Board. Information is also available on Hanover Township Mental Health Board’s web page. Go to www.hanover-township.org.