Greenwich has invested heavily in mental health services for young people over the past two years. The problem: most residents can't find them.

Greenwich United Way released its 2025 Needs Assessment on Monday, Aug. 3, finding that awareness, not availability, is the primary barrier to mental health care in town. Residents surveyed reported they didn't know where to turn for help, what services exist, or how to access them.

"The latest NA findings make clear that awareness and not availability is the primary barrier for those in need of mental healthcare services and support," David Rabin, CEO of Greenwich United Way, wrote in the Greenwich Sentinel on Monday.

The assessment, conducted every five years since 1981, was produced in partnership with Fairfield University's Center for Social Impact. It identified mental health, education, and housing as the principal areas of concern for Greenwich residents, according to a GUW press release.

Programs residents are missing

The report highlights two programs aimed at younger residents that have launched since the last assessment.

The Youth and Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program, developed through a partnership between Greenwich United Way and Yale New Haven/Greenwich Hospital, serves teens ages 13 to 17. It provides structured therapeutic support as an alternative to inpatient care. The program opened in fall 2024 and began accepting patients in January 2025, a direct result of findings from the previous 2020 Needs Assessment.

Greenwich Connects, which opened July 1, 2025, targets young adults ages 18 to 25 struggling with behavioral health and substance use challenges. Funded by GUW, run by Liberation Programs, and housed at the YMCA of Greenwich at 50 E. Putnam Ave., the program offers one-on-one coaching, workshops, and connections to care through a full-time Family Life Coach and a part-time clinical supervisor.

Few residents know these programs exist.

When Greenwich Connects launched in July 2025, Rabin cited Dalio Research data showing that 119,000 Connecticut residents ages 14 to 26 — one in five — are at-risk or disconnected.

A track record of creating institutions

Past Greenwich United Way Needs Assessments have led to the creation of community institutions including the Greenwich Commission on Aging, Kids in Crisis, and the YWCA Domestic Abuse Service. GUW has described the 2025 edition as a "blueprint" for guiding funding decisions and program development over the next several years.

Beyond the two featured programs, Greenwich is also home to school-based counseling, private practitioners, crisis intervention support, regional hotlines, and faith-based peer support groups.

How to connect

The full 2025 Needs Assessment is available at greenwichunitedway.org/needs-assessment. Residents needing help accessing mental health services can call Greenwich United Way at (203) 869-2221. For Greenwich Connects specifically, residents can reach Dr. Maggie Young at Liberation Programs at 203-399-2206.