Dave Engstrom, the coordinator for the Wabash Valley Friendship Clubhouse, stands inside the library of the organization’s new, larger facility at 501 S. Sixth St. The Clubhouse serves these living with mental illness. Sun-Commercial photo by Jenny McNeece
The Wabash Valley Friendship Clubhouse now has a larger space to call home, increasing the love and services it doles out more than six-fold.
“The building we were in, just 700 square feet. This one is 4,800 square feet,” said David Engstrom, gesturing wide with his arms inside the organization’s new space at 501 S. Sixth St., the many windows and bright lights making the space feel cheerfully warm.
“It was an empty building, full of potential,” he went on, the space beginning to bustle with activity. “And the members had a hand in everything.
“We brought the design to them, asked them, ‘What are we missing? What would you like to do differently?’ They had a say from the get-go. They had an opportunity to express exactly what they wanted this space to look like.”
The Clubhouse, a part of the Samaritan Center, opened in November of 2020 after securing a $4 million federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, funds meant to be used to improve community-wide mental health services.
A part of Clubhouse International, the Wabash Valley Friendship Clubhouse offers those living with mental illness opportunities for work and socialization. It’s meant to provide a safe space, Engstrom, its coordinator, explained, for those whose lives have been disrupted by mental health diagnoses.
At the Clubhouse, they can be among friends, find encouragement and be empowered to build connections within the community.
There, they find purpose — and now more than ever.
The organization first put down roots in a small house near the hospital. During the summer months, they were averaging about 20 members — the name by which the Clubhouse refers to its clients — per day, testing the limits of the small, but charming, space.
It had a small kitchen in which members made lunch, a thrift store in the basement, and an area to visit, maybe watch TV. But the more cramped it got, the less effective the overall mission of the Clubhouse became, Engstrom said.
“If you’re already dealing with anxiety, everyone staring at you as you walk in, a lack of privacy, it becomes even more difficult,” he said.
This new, larger space, he went on, is affording members more opportunities to grow and develop meaningful relationships.
The thrift store is much larger and more organized. Its popular snack shop has doubled in size, too — making more effective two primary ways by which the Clubhouse teaches members basic employment skills.
The new space also has a library, a conference room for meetings, a large sitting area where Engstrom hopes to host movie nights, even a media room where he wants to include members in the development of a mental health-themed podcast.
“That’s one thing I really want to get up and going,” he said. “I want to incorporate their voice into the ongoing conversation surrounding mental health.
“And they might be more comfortable sharing their story with a microphone than a large group of people.”
The first-ever Clubhouse opened in New York in 1948, and the organization has grown ever since. It’s been replicated, Engstrom said, more than 330 times worldwide.
The rules at each are much the same, and all Clubhouses must adhere to the same 37 standards. For instance, membership must be voluntary; there is little-to-no hierarchy with staff and members working side-by-side; members share in the responsibility of maintenance and daily chores; and each Clubhouse must have its own physical space, to name just a few.
There is an emphasis on wellness, members taking a daily walk, and they make a healthy meal three times per week.
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