July Newsletter

Independence Center Strives for Racial Justice

As an organization we are committed across all levels to being a part of the solution in increasing racial equity at Independence Center and within the St. Louis community. We are examining our existing structures, activities, and policies to determine where there is room for continued growth toward a more equitable community.

It is important to us now that we listen to lived experiences and take a hard look at our organization internally before we commit to more definitive action. This plan will be communicated in the coming weeks and months. We will continue to update you as we make changes.

We are committed to finding long term solutions. In case you missed the statement by our Executive Director regarding Independence Center‘s commitment to addressing and supporting racial equity and diversity within our community and beyond you can find it HERE.

Update: Plans for Reopening

We are beyond excited to have started our reopening process and share the details of our plan with our community. Members and staff have been working hard to ensure that the Independence Center community is connected during the COVID-19 pandemic through virtual and remote supports.

Together, staff and members have formed a Reopening Task Force that led the way toward reopening of the physical space as well.

The Clubhouse Reopening Task Force did a Zoom interview to talk about the reopening, how we will continue to integrate our virtual Clubhouse space, and how we will continue to provide the best mental health care in St. Louis.

Click here to watch it now!

The team has worked hard to determine an safe and effective phased reintegration into our physical space for the Clubhouse program and a continuation of virtual and remote supports for other programming.

In addition to the Independence Center Clubhouse our residential facilities have officially lifted their quarantine and are enjoying taking walks in their neighborhoods and rides to the store to shop for their own essentials, while wearing a mask and practicing social distancing. Beyond this, IC Health Group will continue to see patients virtually for counseling, therapy, and group sessions.

There has been a tremendous amount of work put into creating an virtual environment for members and staff that will continue moving forward even with our physical space opening up. The virtual environment includes:

You can find more information on our detailed plan for reopening. by clicking below.

Census Challenge

Independence Center has accepted the Census Challenge from one of our community partners, Homegrown STL. We have been challenged to get 100% participation from members and staff in the 2020 Census.

The 2020 Census is more than a population count; it’s an opportunity to shape the future of our community. Simply put, if we are not counted, and our families and community members are not counted, then when the nation is deciding on the amount of federal dollars spent in our neighborhoods or who will represent your vote, we won’t count!

Our goal is 100% completion so we are ALL counted and each of our neighborhoods receive the federal dollars and the representation they deserve!

We want to thank our dedicated front line staff for working with members to complete the Census, register to vote, and exercise their right to vote. Additionally, we want to thank our staff members Brittany Redmond and Rhonda Coursey-Pratt and member Jana S., who have volunteered to lead the charge and help make sure we are ALL COUNTED!

We are excited to continue to participate as a community in the important civic areas of voting and the Census.

Support Us: How COVID-19 has Impacted Independence Center

The outpouring of support and willingness of members, staff, and donors to work together to maintain our community is incredible, but we still need your support to serve the vulnerable populations we serve throughout the St. Louis community. Our organization has been significantly financially impacted by this pandemic and we are in need more than ever of support to continue to serve our vulnerable populations.

Over the past few months, more people in our community have experienced firsthand the impact mental health has on overall health. Independence Center is proud to care for more than 1,600 people each year struggling with severe and persistent mental illness and are encouraged by the increased conversation happening in the community.

Thank you for your continued support and consideration to support us now during this time of need.

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