NAMI Collier County has A New Home by Beth Hatch, CEO of NAMI Collier County

NAMI Collier County has A New Home for its FREE MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS

I stepped into the leadership role at nonprofit NAMI Collier County in late July, just before Hurricane Ian shook Southwest Florida to its core. The impact on the mental health of our community cannot be underestimated.

NAMI Collier helps people and families navigate the complex mental health system and offers unique, nonclinical programs and support groups that focus on wellness and personal recovery journeys. Our goal is to recognize the whole person, not just their diagnosis, and connect them to the resources that can help them. Many of those resources are unique programs we created and provide at no cost.

When I arrived, our programs were held in several rented spaces, with the administration offices in a building on the other side of town. Steps were already in motion to find a new home to better accommodate our programs.

As of March, we will be moving administrative offices and all services into the former Naples Senior Center building at 5025 Castello Drive in Naples. The building will be open for our programs April 3.

The move brings all our programs under one roof, providing the ability to expand and seamlessly expose members to the services and programs available.

Our two-story space has a kitchen, pantry, offices, board room and training room. The building also has four offices and a reception area that we can sublease to generate additional revenue.

The Sarah Ann Center, a safe, welcoming drop-in center for anyone over the age of 18 with a mental health diagnosis, will also be relocated in the new building. It offers daily support groups, outings to encourage socialization and community engagement, daily lunch and activities to enrich the quality of life for members. The new space will allow for a possible shift to a club house model, as well as offering more outings, support groups, activities and a dining hall/restaurant where members can collaborate, share a meal and learn essential skills for the workforce.

NAMI Collier’s other free programs include:

Support groups for members, their families, and caregivers

Health Under Guided Systems (H.U.G.S.), supported by the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, responds to the complex needs of children at risk of or with behavioral health problems in Collier County.

Supportive Housing helps people with mental illnesses overcome the barriers and challenges of homelessness to work on recovery and wellness.

Florida Self-Directed Care (SDC) allows program participants to make their own healthcare choices and actively participate in their recovery from serious mental illnesses

CLEAR: Clearing the Way for Change in Florida is a peer-run service for any individual in search of connecting with someone who has lived experience in mental health recovery.

With roots dating to 1987, NAMI Collier County remains a nonprofit dedicated to helping people navigate their mental health journey through an array of programs. For information or to donate, visit namicollier.org or call 239-260-7300.