Summit County Clubhouse reports 54% membership growth, urges help with staffing and housing

Jen O'Brien, director of the Summit County Clubhouse, told the Summit County Council that the nonprofit's membership has increased sharply and that the group needs more staff, transportation capacity and possibly revised land-use permissions to scale services.

The Clubhouse model, O'Brien said, is built around three pillars'meaningful work, community and direct support'that complement clinical care and help members reintegrate into employment and daily life. "We say our members check that diagnosis at the door," she said, describing services for adults with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD and substance-use disorder.

Dan, identified in the meeting as a Clubhouse member, described how the organization aided his recovery after inpatient treatment for trauma and PTSD. "The Summit County Clubhouse has saved my life," he told the council, describing how ongoing social contact, meals and purposeful activities gave him stability after residential care.

O'Brien told council members the organization has recorded roughly 54% growth in membership since last summer but that growth has tightened capacity. She cited the need for more staff (including drivers for a 12-passenger van), capital to maintain and operate the facility, and an exploration of whether the property's original conditional-use permit still fits the Clubhouse's expanded size and activities. She also raised transitional housing as an option to prevent members from leaving the facility at closing and having nowhere to go.

Council members thanked the delegation, asked for clarification on the growth drivers and praised the Clubhouse's role in reducing stigma. O'Brien recommended council members and staff tour the facility to see programming firsthand.

The Clubhouse presentation was informational; no formal county action was taken at the meeting. Council members signaled willingness to follow up on permitting questions and referrals to state resources for transitional housing.

The council later recessed and returned for other agenda items, including grant approvals and an interlocal agreement vote.