Hope Clubhouse

Hope Clubhouse is founded on the belief that, with the help and support of their community, members can overcome the effects of mental illness, attain recovery and lead satisfying, productive lives. The Clubhouse gives everyone the chance to form friendships, gain respect through work, improve social skills and reduce the stigma so commonly associated with these illnesses.

Just as a community benefits from being interconnected, the Clubhouse provides a “whole-life” approach that engages individual members in many different aspects of daily living, decision making and planning for the future. Over the past decade, Hope Clubhouse has expanded its services to include additional social, educational and quality of life-enhancing activities for individuals in Southwest Florida living with some form of mental illness.

Our business, culinary arts and horticulture units provide skills and leadership development, for instance, that are attractive to potential employers. At the same time, a permaculture garden on site provides a roots-to-shoots model to inspire members as they provide for the Clubhouse’s nutritional needs. FGCU and ECHO have partnered with the Clubhouse to help with our Food Forest – one of many meaningful ways we remain connected with the greater community.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Hope Clubhouse was incorporated on August 3, 2007. Its establishment followed a visit to a clubhouse called Vincent House in Pinellas Park, Florida by a group of dedicated mental health advocates from Lee County who perceived a critical need for similar services right here at home.

About 200 members participate in Clubhouse activities annually, with up to 35 members on site every day.