At a recent Christmas event, I was asked to share my hopes and dreams for 2015. I didn’t have to think for a second — the answer is a rehabilitation program for people struggling with a mental illness. A program does exist and it is called Clubhouse International (www.iccd.org) and it originated in New York City in 1948.
Fountain House, the original “clubhouse,” has blossomed into 322 International Clubhouses globally. Canada has 18 and three are in B.C. A clubhouse is intentionally understaffed, so that members are needed and wanted, as it is the “members” who assist with meaningful and purposeful work when they are ready. Staff, trained by Clubhouse International, work alongside members to find and foster their strengths.
The daily operation of the clubhouse includes answering the phone, reception duties, assisting with the outreach program, running the kitchen and restaurant, working in the horticulture unit or thrift/gift shop or helping in the wellness unit. Members serve on the board of directors and assist with the accreditation process of clubhouses worldwide.
Members keep track of outcomes and record statistics. There are no separate offices for staff — all space is shared — you cannot tell who are members and who are staff. Transitional employment is unique to Clubhouse; it is paid employment for members, eliminating the stress of interviews and resumés. A Young Adult Program is designed specifically for young people. The members’ confidence and self-esteem returns in this holistic, caring community environment.
The 2014 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian prize of $1.5 million was presented to Clubhouse International/Fountain House in October 2014. This is the largest humanitarian prize in the world and is presented to an organization that is doing extraordinary work to alleviate human suffering.
Steven M. Hilton, chairman, president and CEO, states: “Its work demonstrates that we can unshackle those with mental disorders from isolation and stigma and embrace them as productive, independent people with talents and contributions important to our society.”
Articles in the Times Colonist this past year have told us that it costs $31,000 per year for each homeless person. The cost is for salaries of law-enforcement officers, jail stays, emergency-room visits and hospitalization for medical and psychiatric issues. Also in the past five years, in Greater Victoria, police calls related to mental illness have increased 356 per cent.
The Canadian Mental Health Association estimates that 30 to 35 per cent of Canada’s homeless have a mental illness and many become isolated, homeless, hungry and poor due to the symptoms of their illness. We would not expect a cancer patient to sleep and live on the street — why do we accept this for someone with a mental illness?
About 450 million people worldwide suffer from mental and behavioural disorders, according to the World Health Organization. The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports that one in four people will develop some kind of mental illness during their lives, most often during younger years. Half of cases begin by age 14 and three-quarters by age 24. Mental disorders are a factor in 90 per cent of the nearly one million global suicides each year.
Advocacy B.C. has written that mental illness affects 20 per cent of the people on Vancouver Island, yet its share of health-care spending is a mere eight per cent. As many as 86,000 people in the Greater Victoria Area are faced with a mental illness or challenge, based on the one-in-four figure. Family, neighbours, co-workers — many of us know someone who struggles.
Having a Clubhouse in our community makes sense economically, also. The Richmond Pathways Clubhouse recently had research performed and it suggested that for every $1 received by the Clubhouse, there was a $14 societal return on investment.
Help make a Clubhouse International a reality for Greater Victoria in 2015 by visiting www.momslikeus.ca
Jackie Powell is a member of Moms Like Us.
