1st House CORE CLUBHOUSE
Stewart Dall, Cheryl Pennington, Tony Reddington
In 1948, a handful of men and women with major mental illness started a quiet
revolution in their own lives, as well as the entire field of mental health care. Having
emerged from periods of hospitalisation, they chose not to go into typical isolation
but instead to gather together regularly in New York City. They named their group
WANA - We Are Not Alone, and supported each other in adjusting to everyday life.
Membership of the group expanded at such a rate that eventually premises were
found and the idea of hiring staff debated. The members wanted staff who would
work alongside them in a genuine partnership rather than the staff/patient
relationship which was the norm for the time. After hiring and firing for a while,
eventually they managed to find people who would work in a way that was
acceptable.
One of the people they hired was John Beard - a great believer in the
employability of people with enduring mental health problems. Members of staff of
Fountain House became involved in the day to day running of their house, they
discovered through necessity members became involved in the various areas of work
which were named work units.
Clerical Unit - responsible for office and administration tasks
Kitchen Dining Room - responsible for provision and preparation of meals
Maintenance - responsible for upkeep of the building
Transitional Employment - responsible for finding and maintaining work
placements in the local community
Education Unit - providing in-house educational support and
assistance towards further education.
Work units were formed according to the needs of the house and the needs of the
membership, other units such as horticulture, research, housing, and training were
to follow.
The transitional employment programme became an integral part of the
Clubhouse as members were supported in working in real workplaces for real money.
The positive effects of regaining independence were undisputed for many individuals
who went through the programme and eventually went on to obtain independent
employment.
Clubhouse also recognised the need for members to socialise and after-house
social activities were planned. Fountain House was open during weekends and
celebrated public holidays with special events. From those early beginnings to the
present, over
400 Clubhouses have been developed worldwide from Dunfermline to Moscow to
Melbourne to Hong Kong. I feel issues that individuals with mental health problems
have are the same worldwide, i.e. financial, housing and employment, therefore
because Clubhouse addresses these issues it can be duplicated worldwide with
positive results. We also benefit from having the opportunity of being involved in
the International Centre For Clubhouse Development (ICCD).
The ICCD is a federation of communities, called Clubhouses, who's mission is
to develop new Clubhouses and strengthen existing Clubhouses, and to serve as the
hub of this vibrant network of communities around the world. The ICCD oversees
the creation and review of the Standards for Clubhouse programmes. Promotes,
supports and conducts research on the efficacy of the model that is ethical, consistent
with the standards for Clubhouse programmes and is crucial to the future of
Clubhouses everywhere. It advocates for the rights of people with mental illness and
the protection of the Clubhouse movement. Serves as the international clearinghouse
for Clubhouse information and referrals.
Economically, Clubhouse is a service worth looking at - a couple of years ago
people were talking about setting up one-stop shops - Clubhouse is a one-stop shop
which responds to individual needs. The costs for running a Clubhouse are relatively
small when you consider all the areas we cover psychosocial rehabilitation, pre-
vocational work units, outreach, transitional employment, supported employment,
education, social activities etc.
The Core Clubhouse has managed to develop from very humble beginnings in
one room of a community centre to a small flat which was structurally faulty to the
wonderful house we now have in a prime residential area of Dunfermline. Our
journey has not been an easy one, lack of funding and staffing made our progress
difficult at times and we learned a lot from the challenges we have overcome. One
of the main things we have recognised is that everyone has a talent or skill that can
be used in Clubhouse and through the work confidence and self esteem builds up and
we can take on even bigger things.
We hosted the UK Clubhouse Conference in 1999 and are now preparing to host
the European Conference in Edinburgh in 2002. We were the first Clubhouse to be
established in Scotland and now we are the first accredited Clubhouse in Scotland.
In November 2000 we achieved a three-year certification which to date has been
awarded to only 70 of the 450 Clubhouses worldwide.
Stewart � At first when I joined the Core Clubhouse, I didn't think I would
become so passionate about something I believe in so much. The Clubhouse is much
more than a place to go, it has given me many opportunities. I now do presentations
like this one, also national and international events. In addition, I have completed the
three-week training in Fountain House, New York.
Tony � I have been a member of Core Clubhouse for about five years. I help out
in all the different areas in the Clubhouse, from reception to maintenance, to food
service. I enjoy working on the budgets and I'm very good with the financial side of
things. I've made many friends in the Core Clubhouse and don't feel alone anymore.
I have worked on a Transitional Employment Placement as a cleaner in a local bingo
hall. Apart from having extra money in my pocket, it felt good to be back in the
workforce.