Progress Place, a psycho social rehabilitation centre in Toronto, celebrated its 40 year anniversary on Apr. 18.
Progress Place started as a response of the shutdown of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital in 1976 before transitioning into a part of Clubhouse International, a global mental health recovery organization, in 1984.
Speeches were made by community members who have been using Progress Place services from a large range. Some people like Shirley Clark have been going to the clubhouse for 13 years.
Criss Habal-Brosek, a board member, says that they participated in five papers in collaboration with Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) over the last eight years, with the results of each paper being positive.
“[TMU papers] say that the clubhouse community creates increased life satisfaction. It significantly increased psychological integration such as the sense of community and belonging, decrease substance use decreased mental health symptoms and reduced hospitalizations,” says Habal-Brosek.
