Chicago — Core Spaces has announced plans to offer suicide prevention and mental wellness programs across its student housing portfolio. The Chicago-based company has partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the CHRISSCROSS Foundation to deliver programming and initiatives focused on empowering the mental wellbeing and health of off-campus college students, as well as raising awareness to the signs of a peer experiencing mental health stress. As part of this partnership, AFSP will train Core Spaces’ onsite community staff on how to identify residents in crisis and how to respond.
“Loving and caring for someone who struggles with addiction and mental health issues can be a roller coaster ride,” says Richard Lasek, founder of the CHRISCROSS Foundation and experiential director at Core Spaces. “You don’t learn about these experiences in school, and there is no playbook on how to handle it. In honor of my brother, CHRISCROSS Foundation was founded to assist those struggling to help a family member, a friend or themselves overcome these obstacles. Through the foundation’s partnership with Core Spaces and AFSP, I’m proud that we are building intentional communities centered around wellness, while making sure that those who need support, receive it.”