Inside NYC's Pioneering Mental Health Clubhouse

Lyn Joseph first joined Fountain House, a social club for people with mental health issues based in Midtown Manhattan, after she dropped out of college at SUNY New Paltz and wasn’t working.

“It was not really good to have too much free time,” said Joseph, 25, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, and autism.

Five years later, she is contributing to the Fountain House community in ways big and small, from digitizing files in its welcome center to writing about fashion for the in-house newspaper. The clubhouse helped Joseph earn her associate’s degree and, during the pandemic, kept her connected to the community via virtual programming. While at home, Joseph, who is trans, launched a new group online called Queer Council with the goal of making Fountain House more welcoming for LGBTQ members.

“They saved my life,” she said of Fountain House as we sat in the clubhouse library. It was late June, and she was relieved to be back on one of the first days the center was open for in-person activity again. She said she now has the confidence and experience to look for full-time work. “I’m much more capable, I’m much more able-bodied, I’m more independent.”

Fountain House pioneered the clubhouse model when it was founded by a group of psychiatric patients in the 1940s. The idea has since proliferated across the globe. New York City's most recent budget includes $4 million for the 16 clubhouses spread across the five boroughs. 

To take an audio tour of Fountain House, click "Listen" in the player.