Referral Letter from Chicago's Voice on Mental IllnessNAMIWalks Chicago 2009 Sunday September 13, 2009 Grant Park
Their Mission:
NAMI of Greater Chicago’s Mission is to provide hope and improve the quality of life for those in the greater Chicago area whose lives are affected by serious mental illness by providing information & referrals, education, support, advocacy, and active community outreach.
Their History:
NAMI of Greater Chicago was formed in February of 1979, by four families coping with their adult children’s serious mental illnesses. These families incorporated as a not-for-profit organization, developed a support group and invited others to join with them. In September of 1979, Chicago NAMI members participated in the organizational meeting which chartered the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI).
In 1980, NAMI of Greater Chicago developed a residential housing program, 7720 Inc., which became an independent agency in 1983. In 1986, NAMI of Greater Chicago developed the Better Living Apartments Program, a case-managed assistance program for individuals with serious mental illness capable of living independently within the community. In 1995, that program was passed to 7720, Inc. for their continued expansion of the program. Since then, NAMI of Greater Chicago has concentrated on providing information, referrals, support, education, advocacy and hope.
Their Programs:
NAMI of Greater Chicago’s programs include: an Information and Referral hotline which receives more that 5,000 calls annually for assistance in dealing with serious mental illness; Informational Publications on all aspects of mental illnesses, including a Resource Card which is a wallet-sized guide to key services in Chicago and Baby Blues brochures which are distributed to providers throughout the Chicago area; family and patient Support Group Meetings in our office as well as at many sites throughout greater Chicago; an excellent, up-to-date Lending Library, a recently expanded Job Readiness Program for mental health consumers who are looking to return to employment; a Brown Bag Gift Program which delivers cards and gifts to mentally ill residents of Intermediate Care Facilities; Educational Meetings and Programs for members and the public including a Speaker’s Bureau, the 12 week Family to Family Education Course, and an 8 week educational course designed by consumers for consumers entitled Pathways to Recovery
Their Goals:
- To eliminate the stigma and discrimination associated with serious mental illness.
- To serve as a resource for information and referral, support and education for persons with serious mental illness and their families and friends.
- To assist in the education of the public and professionals about serious mental illness, with particular attention to the perspective of the individuals living with mental illness and their families.
- To advocate on behalf of the mentally ill and their families.
- To monitor and seek improvement of existing treatment, residential and support services and to promote the establishment of additional and innovative programs and approaches.
- To promote the inclusion of families in planning and decision-making in the mental health service delivery system, and to urge cooperation between families and professionals in the treatment of the seriously mentally ill persons.
- To support and promote programs that maximize the potential and independence of each person with serious mental illness.
- To stimulate research into causes and treatments for serious mental illnesses and research on psychosocial rehabilitation methods.
