Since 1997, Carriage House has been a place where adults living with mental illness discover their strengths, build real relationships, and work toward the life they want.
The Clubhouse Model
Rather than traditional talk therapy, members and staff share responsibility for running every part of the house, working side by side. That shared work builds relationships based on what each person can contribute, not on what's wrong with them — and it lets members see themselves differently: not as patients, but as people with gifts.
Beyond the daily work of the house, Carriage House helps members find housing, secure employment, pursue education, and access benefits and community resources.
The results
What began as a few dozen members has grown into a program that has served over 2,000 people, with more than 500 returning to work and over 230 pursuing educational goals.
Membership is completely free. No dues, no fees, no time limits. Someone who walks through that door belongs there for life.
Dancing with the Fort Wayne Stars covers roughly a third of Carriage House's annual budget.