CEO and Chief Global Strategist
Promise Resource Network
Huntersville, North Carolina
Cherene Caraco is the CEO/chief global strategist for Promise Resource Network in Charlotte, N.C., and was honored by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law as the 2021 Innovator of the Year.
Caraco has been described as a disruptor, agitator, “fringe,” activator and innovator for her commitment to state, national and international reform of pathology-based, oppressive systems, practices and policies for 28 years. Caraco came by this passion when, as a 13-year-old girl, her behavior was labeled as mental illness, rather than understood as trauma. This was the first of eight mental health diagnoses and it would take many years for her to heal and find her voice. After working over a decade in conventional mental health systems, she began using her voice to ignite social justice related change that is routed in trauma healing and peer-to-peer support.
In 2006, Caraco founded the Charlotte-based non-profit, Promise Resource Network (PRN), that operates 16 open access initiatives that are led and staffed by a team of 85 people who are psychiatric, suicide attempt, trauma, substance use, incarceration and houselessness survivors. In 2019, PRN started Peer Voice NC as a statewide movement of people directly impacted by mental health issues to organize and mobilize around legislative and practice change. This legislative session, they introduced four bills with bi-partisan support that are aimed at reducing the use of mental health related confinement, establishing open access peer-run alternatives to psychiatric commitment, and introducing non-police community response alternatives with people experiencing mental health, poverty related and/or substance use crises.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, PRN launched a 24/7 peer-run warm line and a peer-operated respite, Retreat@ The Plaza, where people experiencing mental health crises and/or thoughts of suicide can stay free for up to 10 days in a healing, unlocked, house staffed by suicide attempt and psychiatric survivors. This serves as the community’s first peer-run alternative to emergency department, congregate in-patient, and involuntary commitments. Under Caraco’s leadership, PRN has been ranked nationally as the 2021 2nd Best Non-Profit in the Country to Work For, following three consecutive years ranked in the top 10 by the Non-Profit Times.
Disclosure information not submitted.
Sunday, April 10, 2022
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
