“We think of ourselves as Warwick’s best kept secret, although we’d prefer not to be,” says Karen Morra a club member at the Hillsgrove House.

Tucked away in a sleepy corner of Montana Ave., just behind Confreda Farms, the club tries very hard not to be exclusive: membership is open to any Rhode Island resident with a persistent mental health problem. Over the past year, their mission to provide a community for those suffering from mental or emotional disorders has received a substantial boost from new legislation, with additional funding possible pending the approval of the Governor’s Budget Proposal for the 2024 fiscal year.

Hillsgrove hosted a ‘Legislative Breakfast’ on Friday, March 31 to encourage lawmakers to continue their support of community mental health programs.

“The recent legislation has made it possible for us to establish Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers like Hillsgrove House and expand access to them,” says Dawn Allen, the CCBHC Project Director for Thrive Behavioral Heath. Thrive (until recently known as the Kent Center) is the organization which oversees Hillsgrove, together with other services in Coventry, East and West Greenwich, Warwick, and West Warwick.

“There were pilot programs in 10 different states throughout the nation which proved that the community model is associated with fewer hospitalizations, fewer emergency room visits for issues relating to mental health, and a substantial increase in accessibility for people seeking services,” she says.

But what, precisely, is a ‘community mental health center’?

“This isn’t a hospital,” says Morra. She has been a Hillsgrove member since 2019. “When I first heard about the program, I really resisted the idea of coming. I had already been to hospitals and they weren’t helping. The last thing I wanted was more group therapy and activities and being treated like a patient instead of a person. But Hillsgrove is totally different: it’s not a place where you come to get ‘treatment.’ It’s a place where you get encouragement and get to engage in meaningful work that can really change the way you live your life.”

Founded in 1991, Hillsgrove House is a member of Clubhouse International, a worldwide organization promoting an alternative approach to mental healthcare. The original clubhouse was Fountain House in New York City, established in 1948 by former patients of psychiatric facilities throughout the city. These original members felt that treatment options were not meeting their ongoing social and emotional needs – what they longed for was a sense of ‘belonging,’ as well as the guidance and support needed to gain long-term employment and integrate into their local communities.

In the 75 years since then, the organization has swelled to include over 320 clubhouses in 30 countries across the globe. They remain committed to the same values that inspired the founders of Fountain House.

“One of the key elements of our program is the Work-Ordered Day,” Morra explains. “Our clubhouses are intentionally understaffed so that members have the opportunity to take part in managing activities and developing marketable skills along the way. We also support members as they seek employment outside of the clubhouse.”

Gabriel Joseph, a Hillsgrove member since 2017, frequently assists with the organization’s employment efforts. “We don’t use titles here,” says Joseph. “If I came in one day and decided I wanted to help out in the kitchen, I could head over and spend the day cooking instead. But I find myself focusing on education and employment because that was what was the most effective in helping me.”

At the legislative breakfast, Joseph shared his own experience at Hillsgrove: due to the stigma associated with mental illness, he refused to accept his initial diagnosis. In a sadly common experience, this led to substance abuse issues, which exacerbated his symptoms and consequently made it difficult for him to maintain employment.

“Hillsgrove helped me find the community support I needed to go back to RIC and move on to a rewarding career,” he says.

Joseph credits the environment of the clubhouse with helping find his own peace of mind – and helping others find theirs through a career as a ‘guided calming consultant’ at a local practice serving mothers with anxiety problems. His work at Hillsgrove is meant to help others follow along his path of recovery through meaningful work.

“We have three employment boards,” he says, motioning toward a set of whiteboards on the wall. “We keep track of independent employment, which are either jobs that members had before joining or jobs which they found on their own. Then we have the ‘Supported Employment’ board, which includes jobs which we helped members to locate and prepare for. Finally, our ‘Transitional’ board includes jobs which Hillsgrove actually has reserved for our members at local businesses. It’s almost like job sharing: if one member can’t go, we send someone else in to pick up the shift. It’s a good deal for local businesses because they get guaranteed coverage, and also good for our members who are just re-entering the professional world.”

In addition to facilitating connections, Hillsgrove helps members prepare for work by reviewing their resume, offering practice interviews, and other simple career services. There is plenty of work to be done within the clubhouse as well, particularly in the kitchen.

“They work side-by-side with us here in the kitchen to prepare the meals,” says Rosaria Pellegrino, a member of Hillsgrove’s staff. The clubhouse offers a complimentary lunch for its members, subsidized by the Rhode Island Department of Education. “They learn basic culinary skills, either for their own benefit or for the job market. We’ve been collecting recipes from members in order to build up our own cookbook; there are a lot of favorites, from Reuben sandwiches to French beef stew to chicken cordon bleu.”

Many of the ingredients used in the kitchen are grown right at Hillsgrove House itself – behind the clubhouse is a surprisingly extensive vegetable garden planted by a member in the URI Master Gardener program. This is just one of many local academic connections which the organization has leveraged