Massachusetts Clubhouse Coalition, Inc.

CONTACT:

15 Vernon Street
Waltham, MA 02453
781.788.8803
www.massclubs.org

Reva Stein, MSW, Executive Director

DESCRIPTION:

MCC is part of a national movement, brought to Massachusetts in 1988, to move adults recovering from mental illness away from sheltered workshops, permanent inpatient status or homelessness, towards a strategy of empowering them to live more self-reliant lives in affiliation with social and vocational recovery and rehabilitation centers called Clubhouses. Today Massachusetts has 31 Clubhouses—the largest and most successful Clubhouse coalition in the nation, serving over 8,000 adults annually—15,000 lifetime members—who have serious and persistent mental illness. Believing that stable housing with flexible supports and employment are the keys to recovery and community stability, MCC’s small staff and 2500 volunteers, have provided community-based and peer support, access to resources, employment, and educational opportunities. They help members get and maintain viable wage jobs—for the past two years, over 1,800 adults have gained employment with Clubhouse support,, earning $11 million dollars in 1,000 local companies. The Clubhouses help homeless people find affordable housing—in the last five years, 186 individuals have gained secure homes of their own. Here is a good example of how philanthropy works quietly as a support-structure for people needing help, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

(2008: HUMAN SERVICES: Well-Being: Homeless)