MONTREAL — It has been up and running for only a few months in a renovated building off a parking lot at 6909 Decarie Blvd.
The new Donald Berman UP House, a clubhouse for people with psychiatric disorders.
But the Donald Berman UP House clubhouse, a new non-denominational centre for adults with psychiatric disorders, is already forging partnerships with Jewish and other community agencies and can claim a number of Jewish figures among its founding supporters and benefactors.
The UP House, which opens officially Oct. 8, uses a model of a “community of people working together toward the common goal of recovery.” The first such clubhouse in Quebec and one of more than 300 all over the world including in Israel, it’s affiliated with the International Centre of Clubhouse Development (ICCD), established in 1948 in New York City as Fountain House.
UP House executive director Ruth McLellan said that “working together” is what makes this psychosocial rehabilitative model unique. Individuals with psychiatric problems – which could include bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or depression – join voluntarily as “members,” with work a key element in building a positive sense of autonomy and self-empowerment.
“They have responsibilities, and everything is work-activated,” McLellan said. “Staff people and members work side by side. There are no therapy sessions.”
The “UP” in UP House is an acronym for “Urban Pardes,” a charitable organization established locally to fund the non-profit clubhouse and other charitable projects. “Pardes” is the Hebrew word for “orchard” or “garden,” and in this case, also points to the level of Jewish input in UP House, even though it is non-sectarian. Significant participants and benefactors include the Donald Berman and other private foundations, as well as a number of Jewish individuals who prefer to remain unidentified.
McLellan pointed to a sign on the wall describing UP House’s four main underpinnings: members have “a right to a place to come; a right to meaningful relationships; a right to work; and a place to return.”
“This is what we’re all about,” she said. “We focus on the ‘well’ part of the person, to help them get in touch with who they are, with their hopes and dreams.”
Already, McLellan said, local Jewish agencies such as Federation CJA’s Agence Ometz, as well as the psychiatry department at the Jewish General Hospital, and non-Jewish agencies such as AMI-Québec and the Forward House, have welcomed the presence of an ICCD clubhouse in Quebec.
“Someone at AMI-Québec said to me: ‘Where were you 40 years ago?’” McLellan said.
A tour of the facility with McLellan showed how work in a congenial, collegial environment is what the place is all about and how effective it seems. Members can chose from any of three work units: administrative tasks such as filing and working on a newsletter; communications tasks such as reception and computer work; or kitchen-related work including food purchasing, cleanup, pricing and gardening.
There is a modern, stainless steel kitchen, a library and a bank of computers that members may use. Members may come and go as they please, McLellan pointed out, but they are expected to fulfil their obligations during the 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. day, which includes joint member-staff meetings. The morning and afternoon work periods are broken up by a healthful lunch prepared by members. Although there is a nominal $2 charge for lunch, UP House membership is free.
The clubhouse also has education and employment programs to give members the skills they need to achieve career goals.
“Everything they do here can be put onto a CV,” McLellan said.
Launched unofficially in July, the UP House already has more than 90 members. There are about 20 other ICCD clubhouses across Canada, with many, if not most, also receiving financial support from the provinces in which they are located. While UP House is registered in Quebec as a charitable, non-profit institution, it is awaiting its full accreditation from ICCD.
UP House is also in the process of establishing its own website – it will be, www.uphouse.org – and its own Facebook page.
Meanwhile, for more information on UP House and clubhouse model, call 514-764-5599, e-mail McLellan at, [email protected], or go to the ICCD website at www.iccd.org.
