What Clubhouses do
A Clubhouse is a community-based center that provides opportunities for people with mental illness and is applying the Clubhouse Model. Members of our Clubhouses are able to fulfill their potential and achieve a sense of belonging, dignity and self-worth through employment, housing, social and educational choices available through the Clubhouse. Much more than simply a program or a social service, a Clubhouse is a community of people who are working together to achieve a common goal.
The Clubhouse is organized to support people living with mental illness to rejoin the worlds of friendship, family, employment and education. Clubhouse powerfully demonstrate that people with mental illness can lead productive and satisfying lives. They offer members:
- A Clubhouse day in which the talents and abilities of members are recognized and encouraged
- Opportunities to obtain paid employment in mainstream businesses and industries
- Assistance in accessing community-based educational resources
- Assistance in accessing medical, psychological, substance abuse, wellness, and other community support resources
- Assistance in securing and sustaining safe, decent and affordable housing
- Participation in consensus-based decision making regarding all important matters relating to the running of the Clubhouse
- Evening/weekend/holiday social and recreational events
The Clubhouse Model is effective because it is:
- Holistic – offering members opportunities for friendship, employment and education, and access to quality housing, medical and psychiatric services through a single caring and safe environment
- Inclusive – allowing members to meet and follow the example of others who are achieving their personal aspirations and goals
- Sustaining – helping members become productive members of society over the course of their lives
- Responsive – dedicated to continuous improvement based on direct feedback from members
