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Shelley Osterloh ReportingPeople who suffer with mental illness may not have the confidence, ability or skill to hold down a job, but there is a place where they can find the support they need to get back into the workforce and be productive and happy again.
Fifty-seven year old Rob Peden is headed to work. For nearly ten years, this well educated man suffered with major depression and was so miserable he could barely get out of the house.
Rob Peton, Alliance House member: "It was more like an emotional numbness. I'd stay in bed for days trying to decide which sock to put on first. In a way it was a disintegration of personality."
About three years ago, his therapist encouraged him to come to the Alliance House. It provides a supportive place in which adults who suffer from serious and persistent mental illness can rediscover their dignity and abilities through work and peer support.
Rob Peton, Alliance House member: "It gave structure to my life, it gave me a place to be."
The Alliance House has about 170 active members, but each day about fifty come to work at the Clubhouse -- addressing newsletters, working in the thrift shop or kitchen, whatever needs to be done.
Jeremy Christensen, Executive Dir., Alliance House: "Empowerment, it's a place where they find ownership and meaning in life."
Work, they say, is a reason to get up and get out. And the friendship and support from other club members, helps them deal with their illness and develop confidence.
The Alliance House also helps people with housing, education, and finding a permanent job.
Rob Peton, Alliance House member: "I've been dragging along for over a decade feeling low, struggling with depression; and the three years here seems to have turned me around."
Now, with the confidence he's gained, Peden has landed a full time job, working at Valley Mental Health as a peer counselor, helping others. Most of all, he says, he has learned to enjoy life.
The Alliance House is a Clubhouse Model organization. There are eight other similar programs in Utah and 400 nationwide in 32 countries. This week, representatives from many of them will meet in Park City for an annual conference.
