About Us

Laurel House provides Resources to Recover, a robust array of integrated services and expertise to people wth mental illness and their families across numerous communities in and around Connecticut.

The emphasis at Laurel House is on recovery. Although more than 80% of our members are living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression, we believe that people can and do recover from the worst effects of serious mental illness.

Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines recovery as "the regaining of or the possibility of regaining something lost or taken away." A young adult diagnosed with a serious mental illness will experience symptoms that can lead to unemployment, disrupted education, homelessness, loss of social ties and a lifelong reliance on medication. Serious mental illness results in higher rates of suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, obesity, diabetes and nicotine addiction. It can also result in a soul-crushing loss of self-esteem, apathy and despair.

Laurel House provides hope through supportive services and programs including life skills coaching, pre-employment hands-on learning, food service, education, employment, housing and residential services, wellness, social opportunities, and active reach out to individuals who might otherwise be isolated.

Resources to Recover has three fundamental goals:
1. Early Intervention and Remediation - helping families connect with the right services to prevent the harmful secondary effects of mental illness.
2. Social Inclusion - reintegration and full participation for clients in their local communities.
3. Recovery - adjustment and adaptation to mental illness for those affected to gain independence and achieve their life aspirations.

Recovery goals are achieved through the provision of a comprehensive array of services and programs:

The Learning Center - an enhanced psychosocial rehabilitation program, focused on skill building, pre-employment counseling, advocacy, mutual support and volunteer opportunities.

Life Skills - transfer of specific life skills and training in activities of daily living such as
personal finance, computer literacy and related technology applications, transportation,
entitlements, shopping and food preparation, self care, social skills and personal hygiene provided through The Learning Center.

Supported Employment - providing people with a range of services to help them look for, find and keep real jobs in a career of their choosing in integrated work settings, at fair-market wages.

Supported Education - community-based placement assistance, financial aid, tutoring and career and educational counseling to help people enroll and succeed in college or other postsecondary education.

Housing and Residential Services - a quality supportive housing program designed to end homelessness by helping people locate and maintain safe, affordable, stable housing.

The Wellness Initiative - direct assistance and medically supervised counseling to help people physically compromised by mental illness to improve self-care, lose weight, make healthy eating choices, quit smoking, exercise and develop healthier lifestyles.

Outreach and Social Programming - promoting community integration through assertive
outreach, the enhancement of natural support networks, and linking of people with mental illness to social and recreational opportunities in their communities.

Community Resource Center/Thrift Store - creating opportunities for clients to interact with volunteers and the general public in a pre-employment retail setting providing affordable goods to the community.

Laurel House Artists' Association - a member run and founded association designed to
promote the self-expression, social integration and employment of people with mental illness in the field of visual arts.

Bistro, Commercial Kitchen & Dining Room - a fully licensed food service establishment providing clients with nutritious, low cost meals and pre-employment training in the culinary arts.

Food Pantry - free food assistance to poor families and individuals in Laurel House's target population.