There's no place like home

FINDLAY — NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Hancock County now has a permanent home. Since July 2021, the organization has rented and also shared space in the Camp Fire Northwest Ohio building at 305 W. Hardin St. But when Camp Fire no longer wanted to be a "landlord," the building was sold to NAMI, said Executive Director Liana Gott. "This was an awesome find, and they weren't really using the rest of the building. So it worked out well for Camp Fire and for us," she said. NAMI — whose mission is promoting mental health in Hancock County to build better lives through education, support and advocacy — was started in 1996 by a group of Findlay-Hancock County residents. "We started meeting at the ADAMHS Board (Hancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services) years ago. And then we were out at the Family Center for a while. But a lot of our programs are in the evenings so they had to pay extra to have security and whatever else," said Gott. NAMI also needed more space. The next location was a small house turned offices on South Blanchard Street, next to CVS Pharmacy. There were problems there as well because the building wasn't ADA compliant. "When I did my internship, we were there. That was 2019. It was a lovely little building but it had steps in a few places, and there's one classroom and it's upstairs so it was very difficult for anybody to get in to," she said. Parking was also a problem. Meanwhile, Camp Fire had dedicated its building on West Hardin Street in 1986. At one point, Jeff North, executive director, CEO and camp director for Camp Fire, was talking to Eric McKee, the previous NAMI director. North said they had three offices that weren't being used and offered them for rent to NAMI. Deborah Zimmerman had taken classes at the North Blanchard Street building. In 2021, she became NAMI's outreach coordinator and is in charge of the more than 70 volunteers. "Camp Fire was still here but not too active, I guess. They weren't really having programs in the building. They were just doing camp. But Jeff (North) was here, and he was kind of running things out of that office," she recalled. NAMI was definitely interested when Camp Fire offered to sell the property. And the question of paying for the building was answered when the organization became one of the beneficiaries of the estate of JoAnn and Ralph Reeds. "It's an amazingly flexible space," said Gott. "We've got dividers in all those rooms so we can have a big huge room or a little room." There's a ramp and handicapped accessible bathrooms. It's also close to downtown so people can walk there, which is important for those who don't have a car, she said. An affiliate of the national NAMI organization, the local organization offers programs, classes, support groups and activities for all ages. "But aside from all that, it's just a safe place to come and exist, no judgement," said Gott. "You can come and be here. Some will come and work on their crafts here because they need some space to spread out, or some people come just because they need a quiet space." "It has definitely become a community center which we didn't have space for in the other building," she said. A lounge/living room area offers a large screen television, purchased with a youth grant. There's also a public computer provided by the Financial Opportunity Center at Habitat for Humanity of Hancock County. "It's just a comfortable place for people," she said. It also allows them to be able to make connections with people again, post-pandemic. "We've kind of forgotten how to do that," said Gott. "And it's hugely important to mental health. You need to be connected to people. The number one protective factor against suicide and all sorts of other things is having connections to other people." Montgomery said one of the agency's newest offerings is Self-Care. The lounge is blocked off from 1:30-3 p.m. Monday through Friday and people can come in for various activities. "Tuesday is walking club. Wednesday is art studio. Friday is readers' retreat. And it's up to the peer what they want to do for self-care that day. We just provide the space for it," she explained. Thursday is meditation and journaling day. NAMI provides journals. "We do provide diamond painting or adult coloring books for art studio day. And we'll just invite people to just do some self-care," Montgomery said. Gott said everything at NAMI is peer led because all of the facilitators have lived experience with the program they're presenting. "Everyone in the office has some form of lived experience either personally or with family members. It's very much grass roots in every way," she said. They stressed that NAMI is not a therapy office or crisis center. But staff will advocate for people to get them help they need in a timely manner. "They'll come to us in crisis or families will call in crisis, and they end up coming to support groups and education classes," said Gott. "So people come to us for self-care or they come to us in crisis, or maybe just need to change therapists. We start making phone calls for people and see, OK, who has the shortest waiting list." David Gunn had been a volunteer in the office but now helps with KidsShop, a weekly program for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. They may make a craft, work on cooking skills or just have open conversations, said Gunn. "And we provide a safe space for children to come and talk about their feelings in a non-judgmental atmosphere. We problem solve, make friends and do activities," he said. Participants are currently planning their second annual pool party. For high school ages, there's Youth Move which also offers a support group. Montgomery said it was the Family-to-Family course that saved her own family. "That class changed me, how I communicated with my loved one. It changed my expectations. It encouraged me to see the person, not the illness, and it made all the difference," she said. The majority of funding for NAMI comes through the ADAHMS board and state grants and funds, said Gott. "Of course, it's all up in the air right now," she said. "We also have a lot of really good donors who support the Color (Me Happy) Walk in May, and average people just donate." The walk is named for Jenelle Hohman, a Findlay health care professional who specialized in play therapy for children. Hohman died in February 2017. The agency will be starting another fundraising campaign this month to secure funds for sprucing up the property, including trimming trees, landscaping, fixing gutters and completing other projects. They also want to put in a bike rack, said Gott.