We've Moved !

The "Community-Reintegration Through Work Partnership " Model

Recovery from a serious mental illness must involve the whole person in a vital and culturally sensitive community. The participants contribute to the community as they grow. The Gainesville Opportunity Center community offers respect, hope, mutuality and unlimited opportunity to access the same worlds of friendship, housing, education and employment as the rest of society.

In the model, participants are called 'members', not patients, and the focus is on their strengths not their illness. Work in the program-whether it is clerical, data input, meal preparation or reaching out to their fellow members-provides the core healing process. Every opportunity provided is the result of the efforts of the members and small professional staff, who work side by side in a unique partnership. Membership and participation are voluntary.

One of the most important steps members take toward greater independence is outside employment, where they work in the community at real jobs. Members also receive help in securing housing, advancing their education, obtaining good psychiatric and medical care, and maintaining government benefits. Membership is for life, so members have all the time they need to secure their new life in the community.

The employment of people with mental illnesses helps employers fill job openings and contributes to society through the return of paid taxes and Social Security, as well as reduced use of government health and disability benefits.

Employers who have hired individuals with mental illnesses report that their attendance and punctuality exceed the norm, and that their motivation, work quality, and job tenure is as good as or better than that of other employees.