Who We Are
Independence Center is a community-based rehabilitation program for adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses in the St. Louis area, built on the Clubhouse model of psychosocial rehabilitation.
1981
Independence Center established
1983
Upscale Resale store on Euclid opens
1984
West Pine House opens and Independence Center becomes the second of only five national training bases for the Clubhouse model of rehabilitation
1985
Midwest Psychiatry, offering psychiatric services as part of BJC, opens
1985
Independence Center purchases and opens Lohmeyer apartments, the first independent housing community offered through the Center
1986
Midland House, IC’s second Clubhouse located in St. Louis County, opens, along with its own upscale resale shop.
1992
Laclede Apartments, the Center’s second independent housing community, opens
1993
Newstead Apartments, a licensed home with 24-hour supports on-site, opens one block away from West Pine House.
1994
Stupp Apartments, also a licensed home with 24-hour supports on-site, opens in St. Louis County
1998
West Pine House Shop moves to new location in the Central West End
1999
Midland House moves to new location in Olivette
2003
Independence Center established the first-ever, on-site Wellness Program with a complete fitness center.
2006
Independence Center celebrates 25 years of serving the St. Louis area and makes plans for consolidation of West Pine and Midland Houses
2007
New consolidated Clubhouse on Forest Park Avenue opens!
Advocacy
Independence Center was founded by friends and family of adults with severe mental illness. They recognized a great need for community-based programming, a need that was not being met. They tenaciously sought funding and support, and vigorously worked towards creating that which was not then available – efforts that have resulted in countless lives being changed through the Center since 1981.
With the changes and current trends in legislation and funding, advocacy for ourselves and on behalf of our loved ones with mental illness is more important than ever. We must all be willing to aggressively inform legislators and other decision makers that, with proper psychiatric care, people with mental illness can recover to live self-fulfilling and productive lives.
To find the names and contact information of your legislators, click the link below. After entering your nine-digit (zip+4) zip code, click the “Lookup Legislators” bar. The names of all your elected officials will be listed and you can access each one’s contact information.
Impact Report
Compliance
Please click one of the following to access Independence Center compliance documents:
- Independence Center Notice of Privacy Policies
- Title VI Civil Rights Notice to the Public
- Title VI/ADA Complaint Form
- Participant Rights, Privileges, and Responsibility
- Member Rights, Privileges, and Responsibility
- Donor Privacy Policy.
- HMIS Privacy and Security Notice
Click here to complete and submit the telehealth informed consent form.
Click the desired form below to complete and submit:
History
For more than 40 years, Independence Center has provided innovative, quality programs that help more than 1,500 individuals with serious mental illnesses live and work in the community each year. In 1981, there were few community-based programs and nowhere near the resources necessary to meet such an urgent need, yet the Center’s Founders were undaunted. They vigorously launched a series of programs and services that would provide a sense of dignity and purpose to a very underserved portion of our community. As Independence Center’s reputation for quality and innovation grew, it quickly became nationally recognized, as we strove to meet the ever-evolving needs of our community and change the way St. Louis views our neighbors living with mental illness.
