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People with mental illness who wanted a place to support and encourage each other, a place they could call their own, started CVAB in the mid 1990’s. CVAB became a non-profit agency in 1997, taking on a vital role in the mental health community of Clark County Washington.
CVAB is run and operated by individuals who have mental illness. The majority of the Board of Directors and staff are identified as consumers of mental health services and provide leadership for our membership organization. We receive support from a broad range of community services and businesses, mental health providers and the Clark County Regional Support Network.
As the organization took shape, so did the purpose and mission of CVAB. The purpose of CVAB is to provide support and encouragement for people in their journey of recovery with mental illness, and the education of the public regarding mental health.
CVAB currently accomplishes this primarily through the following:
- enhance self-help and self-determination for people with mental illness through individual and group support and trainings
- operate a Warm Line to help fellow consumers who may be close to or in crisis, and to be there when they need someone to talk to
- network with other local, state and national consumer organizations
- operate a Recovery Center for consumers in the mental health system
- educate the community about mental illness and dispel the stigma that goes with it
- help consumers feel that they truly belong to the community and that their lives are meaningful
CVAB is guided by the key principles: Respect for all persons, Responsibility, the work of Recovery, and committed as an organization to consumer leadership.
We have been in a few locations over the course of our history and are now located on the first floor of the Clark County Center for Community Health. We now refer to our agency as a Recovery Center but it still has a Drop-In feel to it. Our programs and activities, like our location, have changed shape and emphasis through the years. At the heart of our agency are peer-led social events and activities, support groups, employment programs, trainings and a Warm Line.
Finally, we like to think of ourselves as a Person-Centered, Recovery-Oriented, Supportive Community. We hope you stop in to find out about us and discover CVAB to be a community of hope.
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