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Today, Fountain House released a new report “Beyond Treatment: How Clubhouses for People Living with Serious Mental Illness Transform Lives and Save Money” showcasing the tremendous economic and societal benefit of Clubhouses.

Click here to read “Beyond Treatment”.

This first-of-its-kind analysis looks beyond health care spending to include lost wages and productivity, disability benefits, repeated emergency room visits, and criminal justice impacts – and demonstrates how Clubhouses are uniquely positioned to drive down spending across the board and transform the lives of people living with serious mental illness. The report finds that if Clubhouses were appropriately resourced and expanded to serve even just 5% of the 15.4 million adults in the U.S. who live with serious mental illness, the net societal benefit would exceed $8.5 billion and offer a dramatic improvement in quality of life for countless individuals, their families, and their communities.

As prior national polling has shown, a majority of voters across party lines are in favor of funding community-based supports for people with serious mental illness, such as the Clubhouse Model (85% support, 64% strongly support). And across the country, including in Massachusetts, Ohio, and New York City, officials have recognized and invested in Clubhouses as a critical component of a healthy, dignified mental health care system.

Keep an eye out as we prepare for another Clubhouse Week of Action in 2024 on how we will utilize these new findings to build awareness for Clubhouses in our communities and raise our U.S. national profile as a vital solution. 

Jordana had experienced challenges due to her mental illness. Then she found Clubhouse.

Jordana slowly became comfortable volunteering her time and strengths at her local Clubhouse (Alliance House, UT, USA) where she eventually started her employment journey; she found a sense of empowerment and fulfillment that she had never experienced before. 

Jordana’s story illustrates the invaluable pillar of Clubhouse support: helping members find dignity and purpose through meaningful work and unlocking a new perspective on the immense value they bring to the world.

Imagine a world in which every person living with mental health challenges could have access to the same resources as Jordana!

With your generous support, we can reach more people with mental illness than ever before.

Please, make a gift today.

Clubhouse International and friends from the Clubhouse network all around the world mourn the loss of our long-time Board Member, Frederick Furman Carpenter, 72, who passed October 21, 2023.

Born on November 5, 1950 in Greenville, SC, Fred lived his entire life in Greenville, other than his college years at the University of South Carolina, and was one of the city’s most passionate ambassadors. Fred was married to his best friend and ever present companion, Marian McGinty Carpenter, for 48 years, and was the proud and loving father of his two sons, Tom and Neal Carpenter and their families.

Throughout his career and eventual retirement, Fred’s ultimate passion was his service in the nonprofit and civic sectors. Fred served for decades as a board chair, board member and fundraising co-chair for Gateway House, an Accredited Clubhouse Program for adults living with mental illness that provides a lasting impact for the most fragile members of the Greenville community. Fred served as a board member for Clubhouse International for 14 years. In that role he was a steadfast voice promoting the Clubhouse model and the rights and social inclusion of people with mental illness.

Fred will be remembered as a man of deep faith who loved his family and friends and served his community. He will be deeply missed.

Our USA Clubhouse Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah was a great success! We welcomed 425 participants from 127 Clubhouses in 32 states and 3 countries, including a large group from Japan. The conference featured many good educational presentations, and great engagement with member Clubhouses. The conference was followed by a two-day Accreditation Faculty meeting with 70 members of the faculty participating.

CLICK HERE for the Conference Schedule! Highlights included:

• Moving member testimonials about how the Clubhouse Model supports and empowers them each day, including testimonials from conference co-host, Alliance House, about the support they receive from the Clubhouse, as well as the impact of Transitional Employment (TE) on their journey to full-time employment and recovery.
• A 25-year Transitional Employment partnership between Alliance House and Salt Lake Brewing Company. The CEO and Director of Marketing spoke to how the TE program has helped both Clubhouse members and the company become stronger, more inclusive and more impactful.
• Brent Kelsey, Director, Utah Office of Substance Use and Mental Health
• Traci Pole, Assistant Regional Director, SAMHSA, Utah
• Wayne Niederhauser, Coordinator for Utah Office of Homeless Services

Workshops & Institutes included topics such as Advocacy, Employment Programs, Supporting Young Adults and more. During these presentations, we:

• Shared innovations in Clubhouse research
• Launched an ‘Impact Slide Deck’ in partnership with USC’s Chan School of Occupational Therapy that will be available for Clubhouses to customize to help share the findings and impact of the Clubhouse with key stakeholders and partners
• Shared best practices and resources for growing visibility of local Clubhouses and the global Clubhouse network
• Discovered successes, challenges and strategies for starting a new Clubhouse

We are looking forward to seeing you in Richmond, British Columbia for World Seminar 2024!

Click here to learn more and register today!

JOIN US from anywhere on October 18, 2023 at 7:30PM ET for a fun evening of trivia and community to support Clubhouse International and our mission of ending social and economic isolation for people living with serious mental illness.

Individual and team tickets and sponsorships available!

Meet Shakira, Clubhouse member and young adult mental health advocate, who is helping to move our community forward. 

Shakira’s story is a moving example of how our work to create recovery opportunities helps people living with mental illness reclaim their futures!

Shakira’s story:

I want to tell you about an incredible young woman, Shakira Harris.

Shakira stood up in front of 600 Clubhouse colleagues at our recent World Seminar to share her journey that began with suicidal attempts as a young teenager and has ended with an inspiring recovery.

As she aged out of foster care, a social worker at a local youth program introduced Shakira to B’More Clubhouse in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Shakira jumped into the Clubhouse with both feet. She came out of her bubble and gained self-confidence. But then, as sometimes happens, Shakira lost her way.

Thankfully, Shakira’s Clubhouse community didn’t give up on her. They kept reaching out, even if she didn’t respond. They reminded her that no matter what, the Clubhouse would be there to support her. She rediscovered her community. Most importantly, Shakira rediscovered herself.

“The Clubhouse is a place where you can be true to yourself and never have to worry about anyone stealing your joy or making decisions about what’s best in your own life.”

Our world is full of Shakiras. The details may be different, but the Clubhouse Model helps all members to deal with their difficulties and continue their journey with confidence and positivity for a bright future.

We create and connect communities where recovery and a bright future are possible.

Working with 330+ Clubhouses and nearly 60 Startup groups around the world, we work every day on behalf of members like Shakira.