Green Door

Green Door helps people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses from shelters, jails and community mental health facilities to work toward recovery and live in the community.

How do you help people in my community?

Green Door’s services are available to adults with mental illness who are residents of the District of Columbia. In addition to our amazing Employment Program (described above), we also own or lease 120 units of supported housing , ranging from independent living to group homes for people with mental illness and physical disabilities who need 24-hour oversight. Green Door has been certified as a Core Service Agency of the D.C. Department of Mental Health. For almost two years, we have been carefully creating and testing a program of wraparound services for women and men with mental illness who are stuck on the bottom rung – homeless, many addicted to drugs and alcohol, and emotionally isolated. By requesting to be certified, Green Door has committed to reaching out annually to 600-1,000 more women and men with mental illness who are shut out of our community because they do not receive adequate services. Most importantly, this commitment is rooted in the Green Door values of community, respect, and dignity, and expressed in programs that focus on the whole person and their strengths, not just their illness.

Why do you need my support?

Amazingly, programs to help people with mental illness secure and keep (so important!) employment so that they can be contributing members of the community are not funded by public grants, such as those from the Department of Mental Health. Our goal is to help people remain independent, not keep them dependent. That is how we would use your gift. There are approximately 15,000 people in the District of Columbia with a mental illness who need support to keep their lives from falling apart or to rebuild lives after hospitalization or homelessness. Of these, perhaps 25 percent are receiving adequate services. Green Door is determined to serve more of these D.C. residents. In November, we will dedicate a new facility on Taylor Street NW. Formerly a nondescript warehouse, it is being renovated to be a welcoming place with lots of natural light, a friendly café, and even a fish pond (at Green Door we always see beyond the functional to the beautiful). Each year, 600 to 1,000 women and men will come to Taylor Street for personalized help. They are in addition to those already served by the Clubhouse on 16th Street. The more people we serve, the more we need community support.

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

Oversight of Green Door is provided by a Board of Trustees (unpaid) of people from the community. Please feel free to request a copy of our financials, which are audited annually.

Can I Volunteer? How?

Yes, you can volunteer. Many jobs done by volunteers at other agencies are done by Members at Green Door. It is part of their being part of the community, learning to focus, to work with others, and to see tasks through from beginning to end. We encourage people from the community to come and volunteer alongside Members. Call Maureen Jais-Mick at 202-408-1977 for volunteer opportunities.