Clubhouse International has announced details of several of its expansion plans, following a major grant from philanthropic organization, The Duke Endowment, in March 2023. These will center around increasing access to mental health services starting in South Carolina, as a pilot for nationwide expansion efforts.
Clubhouse International starts and grows Clubhouses in various communities around the world. Clubhouses help people with mental illness get their life back by providing opportunities for employment, friendship, housing, education, and access to medical and psychiatric services in a single caring and safe environment. The Clubhouse International network currently has 342 Clubhouses in 34 countries.
According to Clubhouse International, the funding from The Duke Endowment will be used to promote awareness, education, and support for mental health services by expanding the Clubhouse Model of psychosocial rehabilitation in South Carolina. The model allows people with mental illness to become voluntary members, rather than patients, of a Clubhouse, which is built around a work-ordered day. Members and patients work side by side to run the Clubhouse, doing work that recognizes and utilizes the various talents and abilities of members.
Clubhouse International is now seeking funding for their ambitious expansion plan that will reach thousands of people who are struggling with mental illness throughout the US. The current project in South Carolina will serve as a pilot for a larger expansion push in the US with the aim of connecting as many communities to a Clubhouse as possible.
As an integral part of their expansion plan, Clubhouse International will launch a grassroots initiative in South Carolina that cultivates support for mental health resources and a better understanding of the significant value Clubhouses can provide to the community. This will be accomplished through state-based coalitions of community leaders, mental health advocates, and existing Clubhouse programs, working to develop new programs.
Clubhouse International will hire state project managers to identify partners and allies, develop state-wide networks and a coalition, select locations, and foster state-wide local education. They will also conduct engagement, advocacy, and long-term planning for sustainability and continued growth beyond the grant period.
The organization continuously conducts Clubhouse development training, which helps set up new Clubhouses. It reaches out to Startup groups, which are usually composed of parents, psychiatrists, hospital workers, educators, and other people who see the need for a Clubhouse in their community. They sign up with Clubhouse International to undergo training, which involves a year of mentorship under experienced staff from established Clubhouses.
Clubhouse International works with various organizations, including international service organizations, and veterans' advocates. It is working with government agencies to have the Clubhouse Model recognized and funded as a mental health resource, allowing more low-income Americans to access its services.
Anna Rountree, Clubhouse International's Director of Communications, says: “With our expansion, we continue to demonstrate that the Clubhouse Model is a proven and evidence-based solution to mental illness that is easy to integrate into communities. We believe that people with mental illness don't have to go through it alone, and that they can thrive, go back to work, and fully integrate into society. We want them to know that there is a community resource out there that we can help bring to their community, if there's none in the area. If they already have one nearby, we want to encourage them to identify and visit their local Clubhouse.”
About Clubhouse International
Clubhouse International provides people living with mental illness with opportunities for friendship, employment, housing, education, and access to medical and psychiatric services in a single caring and safe environment through the Clubhouse Model. Clubhouse International is the only global mental health nonprofit that expands and enhances recovery opportunities for people living with mental illness by integrating its proven recovery model into community-based systems of care worldwide.
Media Contact
Name: Anna Sackett Rountree
Email: [email protected]
