The Four Guaranteed Rights of Clubhouse Membership
- The right to a place to come
- The right to meaningful work
- The right to meaningful relationships
- The right to a place to return
The Mission of Club Nova
Club Nova promotes and provides opportunities for individuals with mental illness to lead meaningful and productive lives of their choice in the community.
Club Nova
103 D West Main Street
Carrboro, North Carolina 27510
919-968-NOVA (6682)
Fax 919-968-1764
Who We Are
Founded in 1987 to address the needs of Orange County citizens living with mental illness, Club Nova provides a holistic, caring environment designed to promote rehabilitation and reintegration into the community.
Club Nova follows the successful Clubhouse Model pioneered by Fountain House in New York City. Club Nova focuses on members’ strengths and potential rather than illness.
A Place to Come
Mental illness typically isolates individuals from society. Club Nova provides a place to come for a sense of belonging, acceptance, friendships, and repeated opportunities.
Club Nova offers:
- a place to come six days a week
- support through a newly discovered circle of friends
- opportunities to gain confidence through the work-ordered day
- a range of employment opportunities
- access to housing
- supported education
- evening and weekend social/recreation programs
- community support services (case management)
- 13 affordable meals each week
Meaningful Work
To live meaningful lives, we each must have some place that expects us — where we are needed. Members are needed at Club Nova.
The Work Day and Our Units
Club Nova members volunteer to work within the clubhouse to promote their recovery from serious mental illness. This work provides a sense of belonging and accomplishment.
According to interests, members join and participate in areas of the clubhouse called units. Working side by side with staff, members use and strengthen their abilities and gain confidence through running the clubhouse.
Clubhouse members and staff work together in these areas:
- Administrative Unit: Records attendance, prepares the Medicaid and state billing, pays the bills, and maintains the ledger. The Admin Unit also publishes our newsletter and literary journal — The Stargazer Gazette and Nova. Members and staff manage the reception area, conduct outreach, track donations, and write thank you letters.
- Program Unit: Develops and supports employment, educational, and housing opportunities. The Program Unit also monitors benefits and provides advocacy, outreach, and community education.
- Culinary Unit: Prepares breakfast five days a week, lunch six days a week, and dinner two evenings a week. This unit also sells refreshments in our Snack Bar. Culinary Unit work includes planning menus, shopping, and managing the unit’s budget and receipts.
- Thrift Shop: The Thrift Shop gives members the opportunity to help each other make inexpensive purchases. Unit members exercise their talents for display, marketing, customer service, and accounting. The shop provides additional fiscal support for Club Nova programs while providing meaningful work to members.
Employment Opportunities
The Club Nova Employment Program is a unique collaboration between Club Nova and the business community. Our program offers a range of employment opportunities in the community working for competitive wages on real jobs.
- Group Placement: Several members work together in a local company with on-the-job support from a Club Nova staff worker.
- Transitional Employment (TE): Bridges the gap between clubhouse work and independent employment. TE offers members part-time, entry-level employment opportunities in the community.
- Independent/Supported Employment: Provides members with permanent employment and ongoing support. The employment area discusses employment options and assists with employer contacts, resume development, and interview preparation.
Functions of the House
- Housing / A Place to Live: Members live in various settings throughout Orange County. Club Nova offers assistance in locating housing, including completing housing and Section 8 applications. Ten members live independently in Club Nova supported housing located in Carrboro. Club Nova provides support on a flexible as-needed basis.
- Supported Education: Club Nova assists members in taking advantage of the adult education system in the community in support of their vocational and personal aspirations.
- Social/Recreation: Club Nova offers a social/recreation program on Thursday evenings, weekends, and holidays, which includes hiking, shopping, and attending cultural events. This program provides an opportunity for members to develop relationships in a relaxed and safe environment while becoming more fully engaged with their own communities.
- Community Support Services: Members and staff of the clubhouse provide community support services. The services include helping with entitlements, housing, and advocacy, as well as assistance in finding quality medical, psychiatric, pharmacological, and substance abuse services in the community.
Meaningful Relationships
As individuals work together toward common goals, collegial relationships develop. Relationships developed between members and staff are at the center of all clubhouse interaction and the essence of the rehabilitation process.
Members participate in all areas of planning and decision making regarding the future development of Club Nova.
A Place to Return
Membership is without time limits. Members have a right to immediate re-entry into Club Nova after any length of absence.
The main goal of Club Nova is to reintegrate members into the larger society with dignity and choice. We approach this goal by providing meaningful work, meaningful relationships, and the opportunity to feel the sense of belonging to a welcoming community.
Membership
Club Nova is designed to serve adults (18 and over) who have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
A member may use the resources of Club Nova whenever needed, at whatever level desired, throughout his or her lifetime.
Referrals
Referrals may be made by contacting Melanie Holmes or Joan Burnett at Club Nova. Telephone 919-968-6682 or Fax 919-968-1764.
“Club Nova is family to me.”
Steve Haebig, Member of Club Nova
Club Nova is a volunteer program. We volunteer to help other members and, in the process, we help ourselves.
Mental Illness can rob a person of every role but that of patient. Club Nova helps members retrieve those lost roles.
Hours of Operation
Club Nova is open six days a week and all holidays. Our hours are:
Mondays: 9 am to 6 pm
Tuesdays: 9 am to 5 pm
Wednesdays: 9 am to 5 pm
Thursdays: 9 am to 8 pm
Fridays: 9 am to 5 pm
Saturdays: 11 am to 4 pm
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