Our House Clubhouse opens in Olympia

Our House Clubhouse opened its doors in downtown Olympia in February, welcoming guests with mental health problems or other roadblocks that hinder them from getting a job or housing.

The organization aims to provide a safe and supportive space where members can work toward goals.  

Two members of Our House Clubhouse (OHC), Melanie Welter and Patrick Davis, joined the first day it opened and advocate for more to join the organization, which is helping them find community.  

 “I never thought at 61 I’d be homeless, that’s for sure,” said Melanie Welter.

She joined in hopes of finding leads on a place to live, and has enjoyed meeting other members and gathering together. Welter is disabled and recently had her eighth back surgery.

She doesn’t make much money due to going through surgeries since 2016 and being disabled, she said.  

“I normally never have problems with work or housing,” said Welter, but now she’s been living in her car for two years after losing her apartment when her rent spiked from $900 to $1,500.  

“There’s not much I can do except keep trying every outlet that there is,” she said. 

Welter said the Clubhouse is helping her interact with others “like her” and is a good outlet to meet people and avoid spending the day in her car. She attends all three days OHC is open — Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  

Davis is also finding community at the Clubhouse while learning useful skills to help him find a career. He’s struggled to keep a job and says companies have discriminated against him.  

 “I’ve been told I’m a slow learner,” Davis said.

When he went to college he found that he could only manage three-quarter time schooling, but eventually got ATA (Associate in Technical Arts) degrees in electronics and computer networks.

However, when he went to find jobs with his degrees, he was told they were just introductory degrees and the companies were looking for people with four-year college degrees. 

Despite this, he’s had jobs working in a garage, as a tree chipper for the county, on farms, at Walmart, restaurants, and doing janitorial work. What Davis wants is help in finding a more long-term career.

At the Clubhouse, he’s created menus, a shopping list, done online shopping, edited intake forms, learned computer software, led a meeting, and prepared food. OHC conducts mock interviews and helps with resumes and applications.  

He likes how open the organization is — members can choose what areas of work they want to participate in, make decisions, and can leave and come back where they left off.  

The Clubhouse centers around the “work-ordered day,” which does not pay members, but parallels typical working hours and engages them to help run the Clubhouse.

Meetings are held to join members together and plan out work for the day. It then helps them transition into paid jobs and gives them support and guidance through that process.

Members are typically placed in part-time positions that last six to nine months, then go on to “Supported and Independent Employment,” where members are supported in maintaining their employment.  

Both Davis and Welter found the Clubhouse through Capital Recovery Center, another resource center in Olympia and look forward to more people joining the Clubhouse. Soon the organization will have outings to places like parks or museums.  

“The more the merrier,” said Welter. “We learn from one another.”  

Our House Clubhouse in Olympia is part of a global organization to help those people struggling with mental illness by focusing on their strengths and providing support, and each individual Clubhouse must adhere to the broader organization’s standards. It is funded by the Healthcare Authority, said Tara Miller, Director of Our House Clubhouse in Olympia.  

She said the organization is changing and growing everyday. Right now there are about seven members, with more intakes coming. Miller said she wants as many members as she can get, so much that they outgrow the building they’re currently in.  

A community needs assessment showed that there was a need in Thurston County for a service like this, she said.

She hopes that OHC will create a safe environment for individuals who have mental health struggles and grow a sense of community.  

“They were told they were limited because of their mental health,” Miller said. “We want them to have the strength and courage to say, ‘No I can do more than that.’” 

She said it’s been going great since the opening in February. Some days are slow and they’re still getting the hang of things, but input from members is helping them to grow and hone in on the goals of the organization.

Our House Clubhouse is located at 319 7th Ave. SE, Olympia. It can be reached at 360-489-0098.