What are Mental-Health Clubhouses, and Why Did Mayor Adams Invest in Them?

HOST

Mayor Adams announced a plan to expand mental health services last month. The plan includes a $7 million investment to triple the number of “clubhouses” in New York City. Clubhouses are recreational spaces that provide long-term care to people with severe mental illness and help members find jobs, housing, and education in their neighborhoods. 

So far, staff, clients, and critics say they’re a success! Reporter Tricia Stortz heads to check one out. 

STORTZ 1

Venture House is a two-story brick building in Jamaica, Queens. It has the kind of arches and rounded windows that would make you think it’s a church. But it’s not. 

Members like Gina Ambrosia come here for mental health support…

STORTZ 2 [IN TAPE]

What are some of the reasons that people come to Venture House?

GINA AMBROSIA 1

They come to Venture House to work, to keep the clubhouse functioning and operational. Mostly, we like to make friends.

STORTZ 3

Venture House doesn’t offer therapy or medication. Clubhouses don’t provide traditional psychiatric care. Instead, they can be a place to just hang out. Members can come and go on a voluntary basis. There are activities, field trips, and classes. 

AMBROSIA 2

I'm having a grand time at the art class. I go home, and I draw… It's given me something I haven't done in 40 years, and I'm doing it, and I'm feeling good about myself. 

STORTZ 4

Ambrosia has been coming for the past five months. Upstairs, the office doors are always kept open, and bright paintings cover the walls. Walk out the back door, and there’s a patio with a small garden and benches for when the weather is nice. It’s warm and inviting. 

AMBROSIA 3

We don't think about our mental health here. It takes a second seat to the person. You don't go around wearing your illness on your sleeve. You might say it once in a while, but it doesn’t… it isn't what motivates you.  

STORTZ 5

Kelsey Lurie is a social worker here. She says one of the reasons clubhouses like this are successful is that they have a completely different set of intentions than traditional mental health settings-- like hospitals or rehab. 

KELSEY LURIE 1

The main goal of Clubhouse is really keeping people out of institutions, out of hospitals, out of prisons.

STORTZ 6
Another reason for their success is that clubhouses have a special staff model. They’re purposefully understaffed. They want members to fill jobs like receptionist, chef, and even board members. It’s a central part of their strategy. Having members work trains them for outside jobs and gives them purpose. 

LURIE 2

Everybody works side by side, members and staff. I remember when I first started, everyone asked, "Oh, are you a member, or are you staff?” So, the line is intentionally blurred, which facilitates recovery. 

STORTZ 7

Clubhouses also help members find housing. But the main draw for most is the community they find there. 

LURIE 3

The biggest thing people talk about is being isolated and not wanting to be in their house. So if this is a space where they can come outside and they're not in their house, then that's excellent. 

STORTZ 8 

Another reason clubhouses are proving popular, Juliet Douglas, the CEO of Venture House Queens, says they’re cost-effective. 

STORTZ 9 [IN TAPE]

How is it cost-effective? Could you explain that a little bit more?  

JULIET DOUGLAS 1 

Y’know, It's been said that a one-year of clubhouse membership is equivalent to the cost of a two-week inpatient psychiatric hospital stay. 

STORTZ 10

Douglas is right. She’s talking about the results from a  few different studies. When you collect all the numbers, Venture House is cheaper than most traditional alternatives. For example, for each member, New York City reimburses Venture House up to $4500 per year. But it could cost twice as much to stay in a city hospital for two weeks.

STORTZ 11

Elisheva Adler is a clinical social worker in New York City. She’s very familiar with clubhouses. 

ELISHEVA ADLER 1

I worked with some of these clubhouses or clients who were part of them a few years ago, and they're really helpful. Felicity House is really wonderful. They specifically serve women with autism, which is a really underserved community.

STORTZ 12 

She also thinks the Mayor’s plan is a step in the right direction. 

But, success can come with problems. Venture House is running out of space for all the new members who have been showing up. The staff and members here hope the Mayor’s $7 million will make a big difference. Tricia Stortz, Columbia Radio News.