Knocked off the developmental path that most people follow, individuals with serious and persistent mental illness often are unable to establish careers, forge friendships, create families or participate in their communities. Many live alone in apartments, interact with only a limited number of people and easily become isolated and feel alienated.
A grant from Hennepin County Behavioral Health has allowed us to establish two sites, one in the Seward neighborhood and a second in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, that give consumers the support they need to take control of their symptoms and their treatment, renew their relationships and find their places in the world.
What is an intentional community?
It involves a group of people who choose to live together, sharing a common purpose and working cooperatively to create a lifestyle that reflects their shared values.
Consumers drive the development of each community by establishing communication between members, building consensus and designing the kind of community they want. Members meet at least monthly to review the functioning of the community, make necessary decisions and plan activities.
Members also provide peer support for coping with psychiatric symptoms. Peer-led support is an essential tool for recovery.
Each site offers recreational activities and open hours for spontaneous sharing and communication among members. Members at each site plan facilitated groups and classes, such as yoga, visual journaling and creative writing. A lending library provides self-help and inspirational books and reference texts.
We serve a total of 40 consumers at the two sites. A Community Organizer coordinates the activities for each site. Our staff also includes a program supervisor, two community advocates, and a case aide.
Case Managers from Hennepin County Behavioral Health or contracted agencies can refer potential clients and must authorize all placements to the intentional community.
For more information about our intentional communities, contact Birgit Kelly, Director of Case Management Services, at (612)-767-2164 or bkelly@touchstonemh.org or Carol Rynders, Program Supervisor for Intentional Communities, at 612-767-3881 or crynders@touchstonemh.org.
You can find more information about intentional communities at www.ic.org.
