Photo credit: Grand Avenue Club
Based on the clubhouse model of psychiatric rehabilitation, the Grand Avenue Club is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing pre-vocational, educational, cultural and employment opportunities to adults who have experienced mental illness. Combating the physical and mental isolation that can accompany mental illness, Grand Avenue Club harnesses the power of work and community to help individuals lead more enriched, fulfilling lives. Located in Downtown Milwaukee (210 E. Michigan St.) and open 365 days a year, the organization currently employs 14 staff members and serves 75 clubhouse members daily, with an active member list of around 450. Off the Cuff recently spoke with founding and current Grand Avenue Club Executive Director Rachel Forman about the clubhouse model, club membership, vocational opportunities and the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Could you please explain the clubhouse model?
It is an approach to mental illness that sees people with mental illness as having talents and abilities and capacities that have not been realized. It is not an approach that depends upon what I would call the “pathological imperative.” The pathological imperative would dictate that if that someone has a mental illness, they are very sick and they need to be rehabbed or cured. Our assumption is that the people who come here voluntarily as members are people who have something to contribute here at Grand Avenue Club and we need them because Grand Avenue Club relies on its members and staff working side by side.
How does one become a member Grand Avenue Club?
Someone becomes a member by seeking us out. They don’t need a professional referral. There are tours here at Grand Avenue Club on Wednesday and Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and no appointment is needed. At the end of the tour, after they’ve gotten some sense of the place, we say to them, “Might you want to be a member?” And if that person would like to be a member, we ask them to fill out an application and we ask permission to contact their psychiatrist to affirm that they do indeed have a mental illness. We schedule them for an orientation and then they are a member in full standing of Grand Avenue Club. No one is excluded unless their presence prohibits others from enjoying the benefits of the club.
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What about vocational resources? Do you work with other organizations, institutions or businesses?
We work with a lot of businesses. Our employment partners are very important to us because after people run Grand Avenue Club they’re kind of readying themselves for paid employment. We work with Foley & Lardner LLP. We are working with Outpost Natural Foods, Color Palate restaurant, Renaissance Child Development Center, United Way, Pick ’n Save and that is just a few of the employers for whom our members work. We have a very special employment program that eases people into the paid labor force. It’s called transitional employment and many of our people go on to competitive employment.
How would you say the stigma surrounding mental illness has changed since you were founded in 1991? What are your thoughts?
I think people can still experience stigma and shame when a loved one has a mental illness, but I do think that things have opened up a bit, thankfully. If you look at the press for example, there are often personal accounts of people who have experienced mental illness. I also think the situation for people with mental illness has improved. There are better medications and there are better responses on the part of caregivers and people who are trained to deal with mental illness. There is more openness about it, but I don’t think that there’s no stigma. Many of our members deal with stigma and isolation. There is a feeling in their lives for example that they’re not going to get great jobs and they’re not going to find a partner. That is the kind of thing they live with each day.
Is there anything else you would like to do with the organization as far as expansions or new programs?
We would like to increase our membership. We have both the confidence and the space in the building that we own to increase our membership. We would like to increase the employment opportunities that we have for members. We want more people to come here and we want to help them get access to integrated, quality employment with good employers in the Milwaukee area.
To learn more about the Grand Avenue Club, call 414-276-6474 or visit grandavenueclub.org.
