Mental Health & Wellness
Peer support, care navigation, and wellness for Louisville’s immigrant and refugee community.
What it is
Support that honors each person’s experience
Stress, grief, isolation, language barriers, discrimination, and the demands of resettlement can affect wellbeing. Immigrant and refugee communities in Louisville experience elevated rates of trauma and displacement-related stress, yet face significant barriers to mental health care: language access, cultural stigma, cost, and a shortage of culturally competent providers.
More Than A Smile Foundation offers community-based, non-clinical wellness support as a critical bridge — trauma-informed activities, peer support groups, care navigation, and warm referrals to clinical behavioral health partners. Programming is integrated across all Foundation programs, reaching participants through multiple touchpoints.
Program impact
What participants experience
Participants feel less isolated and more connected to community
Community members gain awareness of mental health resources and reduce stigma
Youth and adults develop coping skills and emotional regulation strategies
Families in crisis are connected to appropriate clinical and social services
Peer facilitators develop skills and confidence as community wellness leaders
Wellness programming reaches participants across multiple program touchpoints year-round
Program data
Who we serve and how
Population served
Immigrant and refugee youth and adults in Louisville, with a focus on Somali, Somali Bantu, and East African community members. Programming is designed to be accessible to participants who may not engage with traditional clinical mental health services.
Schedule
Year-round. Peer support groups meet regularly (frequency varies by cohort). Wellness activities are integrated into existing program events. Care navigation is available on an ongoing, as-needed basis.
Program activities
- Peer support groups facilitated by trained community members
- Trauma-informed wellness activities: art, movement, and outdoor programming
- Care navigation and warm referrals to clinical behavioral health providers
- Mindfulness and stress-reduction workshops
- Crisis awareness and mental health literacy education
- Youth-specific wellness check-ins integrated into other programs
Partners
- Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky
- Louisville behavioral health referral network
- JCPS school counseling partners
- Local faith communities providing space and trusted relationships
Invest in community wellness
Support peer facilitator training, wellness programming, and care navigation for Louisville’s immigrant and refugee community.