Perspectives on the Standards

In our clubhouses, members and staff are part of a supportive, working community, which has the depth and flexibility to assist its members at many, many levels. We are lifetime members of a community that works—and the elements of "community" and "work" enhance each other, without one necessarily dominating the other. We do not say to people, "now you are no longer entitled to our help."

This Standard also acknowledges that members who are working independently continue to have a right to all the assistance we need to live with dignity. Many of us have other issues besides employment-related ones, and for us securing Independent Employment is not the end of our journey. Our colleagues realize that when one of us is suffering in one area of our lives, all of the other areas will also suffer. Problems with benefits, housing, treatment, legal and financial problems will damage anyone’s ability to work, so as a part of its mission the clubhouse is committed to giving us the resources to solve these problems.

Another area that impacts our job performance is our social life. If we let ourselves become isolated and friendless we will have additional and unnecessary stress in our working lives. The clubhouse strives to provide us with an arena to develop friendships, and once a member is independently employed our clubhouses do not cut off those friendships. There are some members who we see only a few weekends a year, or only in November or December. They are greeted like family.