Laurel House Provides Structure and Support for People With Mental Illness

Three years ago, Ray Linares did not know how to use a computer.

Although he worked in printing many years ago, Linares said he was not familiar with modern computers. It was his involvement with Laurel House that changed that, he said.

Linares has wrestled with anxiety, agoraphobia and depression. He came to Laurel House for support, and was pushed by the staff into learning how to use a computer.

He is now the editor of the Laurel House monthly newsletter.

"I'm finally getting into this century," he said.

Laurel House is a grant funded clubhouse on Livingston Avenue that is open to adults ages 18 to 65 who have been diagnosed with mental illness.

Currently serving 140 clients - 86 men and 53 women - the club has been in existence since 2008. It is the first clubhouse in New Jersey and the only one in Middlesex County, according to Director Deborah Kaufman.

Clients come to the house on a voluntary basis as a way for them to get back into a working routine in a supportive place.

It is affiliated with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Middlesex and the International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD) and is supported by a number of organizations, including the department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling at UMDNJ, Bristol-Myers Squibb, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Rutgers Community Health Foundation, Magyar Bank and the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

The house is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and clients may show up whenever they choose, Kaufman said. Transportation can also be arranged to bring them to the house.

A morning meeting decides the chores for the day and who will handle each chore. They clean, shop for groceries, make a group lunch, brew coffee, collect the day's money for lunch and coffee, do data entry and check members and visitors in.

"Their work actually runs the clubhouse, so it helps them to learn new job skills," Kaufman said. "To boost their confidence levels like "Wow, I can do something that matters every single day and I can teach other people to do it as well."

As long as chores are completed, each member can spend their free time as they wish, Kaufman said.

Casual outings and social events are organized on a monthly basis, Kaufman said. The house is also open on all holidays.

When clients are ready for outside work, they can be placed in Transitional Employment Placement or TEP. These part-time jobs are arranged with local businesses to give clients a chance at establishing a real working routine and earning a paycheck over six to nine months.

Full-time jobs are also available through a Supported Employment Program (SEP), according to the organization.

"Work is just an amazing therapeutic confidence builder. It changes people completely," Kaufman said. "It's pretty amazing to watch somebody who hasn't worked in 10 years or more go back to work and the change that it makes in that person."

Currently, Laurel House has TEP arrangements with the North Brunswick Library and NAMI Middlesex.

Linares has completed at least two TEP jobs, including a stint at the library, shelving books and doing other duties there. The library has been "great" to Laurel House clients wishing to work, he said.

"(It helps you) have some pride in what you're doing and some money in your pocket," Linares said.

Linares said that Laurel House has been a driving force in helping him to get better. He has multiple pieces of art hanging on the wall around the house, some of which will be shown at a Magyar Bank-organized fundraiser for Laurel House on Oct. 3.

He will also give a speech at the fundraiser, something that was not a possibility years ago, he said.

Depression left him "rotting" in his house, Linares said. His doctors told him that they could change medical treatment, but he needed to change his life,  which he did.

"I'm hoping I can get my own job soon," he said.

Magyar Bank and JFK Health System will host a golf outing fundraiser to benefit Laurel House on Oct. 3 at Royce Brook Golf Club in Hillsborough, beginning at 8 a.m. For more information, contact Deborah Kaufman at (732) 246-0028.

For more information on Laurel House, visit www.laurelhousemiddlesex.org.