About Center Club
Center Club is certified by the International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD). ICCD is a global network creating opportunities for people living with mental illness to be respected members of society.
Center Club guarantees…
• A right to a place to come
• A right to meaningful work.
• A right to meaningful relationships.
• A right to a place to return.
The club provides a safe, supportive environment where club members can work at their own pace towards personal goals in employment, education, decent affordable housing, and making friends.
Center Club is located in Government Center , behind the Area A Police Station, at 31 Bowker Street . Bowker Street is off of New Chardon Street . The Club is easily reached by taking the MBTA to the Haymarket Station.
Hours of Operation
Monday through Friday 8:30am-7:00pm
Holidays 10:00am-3:00pm
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Social Program
The social program is offered from 4:00pm -7:00pm on Monday through Friday 10:00am - 3:00pm on Holidays.
Regular activities include Coffeehouse, crafts, bowling, softball, use of the Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center gym, and holiday celebrations. Other regular features include ethnic observances, annual Festival of the Arts, Open House, and trips around Boston . Center Club also has a membership at the Museum of Science , Museum of Fine Arts , and the Old South Meeting House, and the New England Aquarium.
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Diversity
Center Club is committed to providing a safe, affirming atmosphere for all Club members. A variety of ethnic and racial cultures, living circumstances, sexual orientations, disabilities, educational and vocational backgrounds, and general life values and experiences are represented in the Club. It is expected that each person will be treated respectfully and will treat others in the same fashion, no matter the circumstances.
Accepting and understanding differences is supported through Club friendships and work, informal discussions, and more formal programs. A Diversity discussion meets each Friday at 2:30 pm, with the format varying from discussions to videos to guest speakers. Special celebrations occur throughout the year, and artwork, posters, books, and magazines reflecting our diversity are displayed throughout the Club. A diversity library is located in the Food Service & Social Activities Unit on the 2nd.
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Languages Spoken (by members) - English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, American Sign Language.Meals
Center Club serves lunch Monday through Friday at 12:30 pm and supper Monday through Friday at 5:15 pm. Members pay $1.00 for each of these meals. A light breakfast is served at 9:00 am. This breakfast is free.
Units
The club is divided into three (3) major units and each unit has specific activities;
A) Membership Services and Education unit
Ø Member attendance
Ø Intake
Ø DMH billing
Ø DMH performance based contracting report, ICCD, Massachusetts Clubhouse Coalition reports
Ø Computer work
Ø Preparation of club publications, including monthly newsletter
Ø Providing program tours
Ø Greeting visitors/members at reception desk
Ø Telephone reception work
Ø Outreach
Ø Tutoring
Ø GED referral
Ø Assistance w/ obtaining financial aid for school as well as scholarship funds
Ø Computer classes
Ø Coat check
Ø Ordering supplies
Ø Sorting mail
Ø Photo copying
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Clubhouse Family Legal Support Project
The Center Club is one of the Massachusetts Clubhouses that is working in collaboration with the Clubhouse Family Legal Support Project , a project co-led by Employment Options <http://www.employmentoptions.org/aboutus.shtml> and the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee <http://www.mass.gov/mhlac/> , to provide services to members at Center Club. This is an initiative to assist parents with mental illness in family-law related matters such as custody/visitation with their children and divorces when child custody is an issue.
Once every other month, a staff attorney from the Clubhouse Family Legal Support Project
< http://www.employmentoptions.org/family_legal.htm > (CFLSP) visits the Club to make a presentation, in which the services being offered are explained to staff and club members of the Center Club. After the general presentation, intake is made for members with parenting and custodial issues. Intake is done on an individual basis because every member's case is unique.
This relationship between the respective club members and the Clubhouse Family Legal Support Project, < http://www.employmentoptions.org/family_legal.htm > is maintained by ensuring continuous communication between the attorneys, the Club's staff member concerned and the members themselves. For more detailed information about CFLSP, please visit
http://www.employmentoptions.org/family_initiatives.htm.
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B) Food service, Social activities and Financial services Unit
Ø Telephone reception
Ø Outreach-card designing and mailing(for members)
Ø Internet research
Ø Menu planning
Ø Food ordering and shopping and inventory management
Ø Nutrition education
Ø Safe food handling training
Ø Meal preparation and cleanup
Ø Activity planning and facilitating outings
Ø Diversity discussion
Ø Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA) sessions once every week
Ø Warm line and outreach
Ø Club finances and petty cash
Ø Member emergency loan fund
Ø Photographing club activities
Ø Members mail
C) Employment and Housing/Wellness Unit
General activities in this unit include;
Ø Telephone reception
Ø Benefit Supports
Ø Resume & cover letter preparation
Ø Assistance with applications
Ø Job search
Ø Monitoring of Social Security benefits
Ø Social skills at work discussion
Ø Interviewing skills discussion
Ø Job matching
Ø Job coaching
Ø Outreach
Ø Career exploration
Ø Homelessness prevention
Ø Housing search
Ø Assistance w/ moving
Ø Advocacy
Ø Referrals to legal aid and other housing services
Ø Housing support discussion
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Center Club's WELLNESS INITIATIVE
Recovery from chronic and persistent mental challenges is a multi-faceted experience.
Center Club provides a variety of services that promote and advocate for any adult with mental health challenges. For about one and a half years the wellness initiative has been an instrumental medium for recovery.
As a collective effort the members are encouraged to join other active members in Gym workouts twice a week and as an ongoing venture, pertinent Health driven information is gathered and made available to all.
Note: The Lindemann gym (within the vicinity of the club) is available five days a week. Twice a month planned discussions take place with an ever growing library composed of periodicals, books, tapes and DVDs which are used for educational purposes.
Future goals include making this wellness initiative an integral Unit, central to Center Clubs plans
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Employment Services
Transitional Employment offers a transitional or part-time competitive job in the community at prevailing wages. Transitional Employment provides Club members with the opportunity to work for the first time or to re-enter the work force after a long absence. Basic to the program is the elimination of the job search and comparative jobs interviews that are often major barriers for individuals with gaps in their work history. Another basic component of the program is the frequent support given to the Club member. The Club offers guaranteed back-up coverage to the employer. We don‚t guarantee back-up at all sites.
Supported Employment offers Club members support in their attempts to gain permanent employment through a combination of on-going support, advocacy, and other services that vary with individual needs.
Independent Employment offers Club members a chance to work with off-site support if requested. Many members have obtained jobs on their own or with leads discovered at the Club. They come to the Club for support by attending the working members dinner and coming for social times.
· Newspaper search
· Internet search
· Job search
· Monitoring of social security benefits
· Social Skills at work discussion
· Interviewing Skills discussion
· Job matching
· Job coaching
· Career exploration
· Employed members weekly dinner