Laurel House is a clubhouse, a community association organized for people who have experienced periods of psychiatric hospitalization or mental illness.

Its principal mission is to provide members of Laurel House with a network of needed services and opportunities to engage the social, vocational and educational resources of the community and to multiply the community’s opportunities for accepting and appreciating clubhouse members.

Most importantly, the purpose of the club is to insure a valued and legitimate social status for members and enable them to make a meaningful contribution to the overall livelihood and welfare of their community.

Description:
Laurel House is guided by the belief that every person, even people who have experienced a disabling psychiatric illness, have the capacity for leading productive, meaningful lives and that all people have the need to be wanted, the need to belong, and the need to be appreciated for the unique and valuable contributions they make to their community.

Most importantly, Laurel House recognizes the essential value of work and believes that its most important responsibility to its members is to create opportunities for paid employment.

To achieve this goal, a critically important objective is the establishment of mutually helpful alliances with the business, educational and political organizations of the community in order to insure our access to the resources these organizations represent and to encourage their enthusiastic embrace of the purpose and vision of Laurel House.

History:
July 1984: The Connecticut Department of Mental Health decides to create a "clubhouse" model of community support and approves an initial grant to form Laurel House in Stamford. The Club first operates from the community room of St. Andrew’s Church in Stamford.

February 1987: Purchase of the Clubhouse at 6 Washington Court, Stamford.

February 1988: The Supportive Housing Program expands, opens three new apartments and provides support to twenty-nine members of Laurel House.


May 1989: Laurel House becomes one of only two programs in the state to be awarded a special grant to develop a program for college level Supported Education. This program will become one of the first efforts ever of its kind to create opportunities for higher education for people with psychiatric disabilities.



January 1990: The Connecticut Dept. of Mental Health nominate Laurel House as an exemplary program and it receives special recognition by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

July 1990: The Laurel House Transitional Employment Program is cited on the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal.

September 1990: The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) ranks Connecticut fourth nationally in quality of services and their report gives Laurel House special mention three times for its supported housing, employment programs and for having "one of the best clubhouse programs."

October 1990: The Laurel House Food Cooperative is opened and becomes the first clubhouse-operated food store in the country, annual sales approach ten thousand dollars and cost savings to members average seventy-five percent off retail.

June 1991: Laurel House is invited by Boston University to present Supported Education Program at the annual conference of the International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation in Baltimore. In August, the program is invited again to present at the Sixth International Seminar on the Clubhouse Model.

September 1991: Renovations begin on the eight apartments located at Laurel House.

October 1991: GE Capital participates as an employer in the Transitional Employment Program which now offers nineteen job placements and provides support to members on permanent jobs as well.

June 1992: Laurel House holds its first Employers Dinner at St. Andrew’s Church.

November 1992: The renovations to the Laurel House apartments are completed. The City of Stamford proclaims and commemorates November 13 as Laurel House Founding Day.



June 1993: The Laurel House Thrift Store opens with support from the Department. of Mental Health and friends of Laurel House. The store supplies needed furniture, clothing and household goods for the Apartment Program and the community. Within one year, the store will expand to a second location.



June 1995: With funds from Stamford Community Development, the Bingham Trust and the Ct. Dept. of Mental Health, the Laurel House Clubhouse doubles in size with the completion of renovations to the lower level. Attendance levels are now some 75 members each day.

September 1995: Laurel House is selected as one of three programs to participate in a research study with the University of Arizona on the relationship between Supported Education and employment for people with psychiatric disabilities.

December 1996: With financial support from the Bingham Trust and the Melville family Trust, Laurel House purchases a new facility to be used for a new and expanded clubhouse. The purchase is made entirely with private rather than public funds.

June 1997: Governor John Rowland is the keynote speaker at the annual Employers Luncheon. The Employment Program now supports over fifty Laurel House members for the first time and annual wages approach $400,000.

January 1998: The Supported Education Program expands and assists over 25 members to enroll for post high school and college level programs.

July 1999: Laurel House raises over $2million dollars to purchase and renovate a new clubhouse at 1616 Washington Boulevard. After two years of planning and preparation, the clubhouse moves in during July. Active membership during the past year exceeds 300 members.

June 2000: Laurel House completes renovations at 6 Washington court and expands it’s Housing Program for an additional fifteen members.

April 2001: Laurel House enters the digital age and arrives on the Internet as laurelhouse.net.

Contact people:

Rob Lockhart, Housing Director, (phone), (email) Chris Limone, Program Director, (phone), (email) Gillian Tanz, Supported Education Program Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (203) 969-7021

Address:

1616 Washington Blvd. Stamford, CT 06902 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.laurelhouse.net/main.html

Directions:

From I-95 North-bound: Exit 7 (Greenwich Ave./Stamford Train Station); turn left at second light off exit ramp onto Washington Blvd., and follow directions below. South-bound: Exit 7 (Atlantic Street); follow service road to the 5th light, Washington Blvd., and turn right. Follow. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: 1 mile est.,   Walk distance (in minutes): 20 min   Nearest Bus Stop: Summer St., 10 min minute walk

Miscellaneous Information

Does your agency have weekend volunteer opportunities?
	Yes
Does your agency have evening volunteer opportunities?
	Yes
Does your agecny accept court ordered communituy service volunteers?
	Yes
Does your agency accept and coordinate group projects for corporate volunteers?
	Yes
Does your agency accept and coordinate group projects for youth volunteers?
	No
Does your agency accept youth volunteers ages 8-13 with adult supervision?
	No
Does your agency accept youth volunteers ages 14-18?
	No