Burlington County’s first Buddy Bench will be placed outside the Burlington County Human Services Building in Westampton.
The Burlington County Commissioners and the county Department of Human Services unveiled the county’s first Buddy Bench during the Bring Health Home Resource Fair at the county library and the Burlington County Amphitheater earlier this month.
The bench is inscribed with this message: “You are not alone. Call 988 Crisis Lifeline.” It is intended to provide a safe space for visitors to relax and reflect while also encouraging those with a mental-health condition to reach out for help.
“We want to let residents who might be struggling with mental-health conditions like anxiety, stress, depression and substance-use disorder know that they are not alone and that help is available,” said Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel.
In addition to the bench at the human services building, the county has purchased 13 others to install in county parks. The 14 Buddy Benches are each about 6 feet long and made from recycled plastic. They were purchased with funds from a federal grant the county received to help improve mental-health services.
“The benches will provide a safe space for human services’ clients and parks visitors to reflect and relax,” Eckel added. “They also encourage residents who may be struggling with a mental-health condition to reach out for help.”
The benches are based on a concept popular in schools and community playgrounds nationwide that encourages children to be kind and show support and empathy for other kids who may be feeling sad, afraid, lonely or left out. When a child sits on the bench, it’s a signal to other kids to ask him or her to play.
The concept garnered more attention from the 2019 children’s book, “The Buddy Bench,” by Patty Brozo.
“Just as mental-health conditions impact all ages, we believe Buddy Benches can help both children and adults,” Eckel explained. “They remind us all that we can become impacted by a mental-health condition. We need to be aware and show compassion and kindness to the people we encounter who may be struggling.
“No one should feel fear, shame or stigma about mental health, and reaching out for help and support.”
Burlington County has become a leader in improving access to mental-health services and eliminating stigma. In 2021, its commissioners approved a resolution to make the county stigma-free and launched a campaign to dispel misconceptions about mental health and raise awareness about support programs.
More recently, the commissioners appropriated $200,000 from the county’s opioid settlement funds for evidence-based prevention programs in every county municipality. Each of those 40 towns is eligible to receive a $5,000 grant to either implement a local program or support an existing one in their town or school district.
State Assemblywoman Andrea Katz – who helped unveil the first bench with Eckel and Easton Parker, the 8-year-old founder of a nonprofit that helps the homeless – said the county’s comprehensive approach to ending stigma and supporting residents is creating a model for other counties.
“Mental health is something we all need to prioritize,” Katz noted. “It’s gratifying to see Burlington County taking so many actions to raise awareness, to let residents and families know that they’re not alone and that there are resources available to support them.
“These benches are going to help end the stigma around mental health so that people can get the care that they need.”
If your life or someone else’s life is in imminent danger, call 911. If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate help, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Help is also available online at www.nj.hopeline.com.
