Here in Our Club

Received: February 19, 2016; Accepted: February 29, 2016; Published: March 05, 2016Some years ago author read a book that profoundly influenced me: Tell Them Who I Am, by Elliot Liebow1. This book was about women living in shelters for the homeless. As Liebow said in the preface: "People are homeless not because they are mentally ill, drugs users, or thieves, but because they do not have a place to live."In addition to the influence of this book, author am so struck by our culture that refers to someone as "a schizophrenic," rather than by that person's name. If your aunt Tillie has cancer, you do not refer to her as "a cancer." She is "Aunt Tillie, and she has cancer." My son is a kind, bright man, 58 years old, who is deeply loved by his family. He makes beautiful pottery, and is a gifted musician who plays with me in a bluegrass band. He loves the wilderness and...many other things. We call him "David." Our culture calls him "a schizophrenic."All of this inspired me to interview members of a club house in our city, called "Off the Square Club" (OTSC). This is a consumer staffed, daytime Drop-In-Center for adults living with mental illnesses, some of whom are homeless. It is operated by Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. The Club served 167 members in 2012.To become members of OTSC, applicants must provide verification of a mental illness diagnosis. Many members are homeless and living in various locations or one of the shelters for homeless people. Staff members at OTSC strive to create a warm, accepting environment for all who attend. "OTSC is a place for members to receive many kinds of support. Community resources counseling, emotional support, crisis intervention, and some vocational opportunities are available to any member who requests it. OTSC's foundation, however, is the provision of a stigma free, safe daytime shelter where members can rest, eat two meals, and socialize Monday through Friday. OTSC provides a safe context for members to socialize with other members, and to escape the isolation and harmful relationships that many people with chronic forms of mental illness experience. Members also have the opportunity to experience positive regard and empathy by developing a working relationship with staff. These relationships can be critical aspects of a recovery journey, and may even save lives "2.As a member of their advisory board, and as a mother of one of heir attendees, author decided to interview club members who were willing to tell me a bit about themselves.Author introduced myself to members, telling them I was interested in knowing something about who they were. Author said: "Author work on the OTSC Advisory Board, and am very interested in the people who come here: who you are, what is important to you in your life, what your hopes and dreams are... Just anything you care to tell me about yourself! I'll take a few notes while you are talking to me, and when we are done talking, I'll read them back to you. Then you can see if author got it right; and change anything you want; or add something... whatever."The following are some of their stories. Keep in mind that these are all club members who agreed to be interviewed, and mostly seemed to enjoy the process. There were a few individuals who declined being interviewed. So there is a built in bias: the people who wanted to talk. Author wish to knew more about those who declined!Todd Winstrom is the present director of OTSC, starting his work there the summer of 2014. Todd had been to law school, so author was surprised that instead of going into some kind of law practice, he took on the directorship of OTSC. Author asked Todd about this, and he said, "Serious mental illness (SMI) touched my family. My dad had big SMI problems and ended up committing suicide." "Hey," he said, "I've seen a therapist, have taken meds, I'm a consumer too. It's time I came out of the closet."Todd talked about wanting to be a stigma buster. …