A Brief History of the Carriage House
August 1996: NAMI Fort Wayne establishes a committee to investigate the clubhouse model
September 1996: New Hope Clubhouse in Kendalville, IN presents the clubhouse model at a NAMI Fort Wayne meeting
Late 1996: Committee visit Park Center’s drop in center and decides to do something different
1996-early 1997: Committee members make day long visits to other clubhouses:
· New Hope Clubhouse - Kendalville, IN
· Adventure House - Shelby, NC
· The Green Door - Washington, DC
· Independence Center - St. Louis, MO
· Genesis House - Atlanta, GA
· Thresholds - Chicago, IL
· Fountain House - New York City
December 1996: Joyce and Steve Glock purchase “The Old Arata Mansion” - a zoning variance is obtained and the building is purchased from the Glocks by The Fort Wayne Clubhouse, Inc on July 20, 1998
Early 1997: Committee obtains assistance of Rudyard Propst and Joel Corcoran from the International Center for Clubhouse Development
Early 1997: The committee approaches Paul Wilson, CEO of Park Center to propose a cooperative effort. After some discussion, a collaboration was agreed upon
Early 1997: Budgets, etc are obtained from other clubhouses
Early 1997: NAMI Fort Wayne and Park Center develop a model of cooperation and write bylaws. ncorporation papers are filed and application for 501(c)(3) status is submitted.
April 1997: Fundraising campaign begins
May 1997: On the recommendation of the ICCD, committee consults with Mike Furches from Crossroads Clubhouse in Tulsa, OK
August 1997: First Board Meeting held
September 1997: The Fort Wayne Clubhouse become incorporated and is recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization
April 1998: Warren Sparrow Hired as first Executive Director
May 1998: Carriage House begins limited operations
October 1998: Carriage House officially opens
June 1999: Three Transitional employment jobs and two Supported employment jobs obtained
February 2001: The Carriage House receives a three-year certification from the International Center for Clubhouse Development
August 2002: Carriage House establishes the Indiana Clubhouse Coalition to assist other clubhouse-like programs is the state. There are 13 signatories
2003: Carriage House is fully staffed with 1 director, 2 managers, 4 unit staff and 2 support staff. We have an average daily attendance of over 40 members.
April 2004: Warren departs Carriage House
July 2004: Andy Wilson named Executive Director and Tom Weir named Associate Executive Director
July 2004: Second Certification visit from the International Center for Clubhouse Development
September 2004: Carriage House hosts the 6th Bi-Annual Mid-States Regional Clubhouse Conference. There are over 250 attendees from more than 13 states.
June 2006: Carriage House has a total membership of over 630, an active membership of 230 and an average daily attendance of over 50. We have 8 TE positions. We have assisted over 150 people return to work in the community and over 100 people have worked toward education goals.
