Enhancing Over 4,000 Lives Daily

Mental illness affects 1 in every 5 adults in our community. These are people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Family, friends, neighbors – no one is immune. What most of us take for granted, these people cannot. They can struggle to concentrate, reason and make a decision. They can find it difficult to get and keep a job, to live alone or complete life's many tasks. They can feel an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. Many have multiple problems such as mental illness and substance abuse.

Some have friends and family for support. Thousands of others have no one. They fall through the cracks of society, ending up homeless, incarcerated, in nursing homes or wandering aimlessly through life. They can be without purpose, without hope, without anywhere to turn except here, where we change life stories into success stories.

Our work is in the community, on street corners, in peoples' homes and workplace. We are wherever we need to be to reach adults with severe mental illness.

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CLIENTS AT A GLANCE

Age
Clients ranged in age from teenagers who were transitioning into the adult mental health system to a 96-year-old woman with a long history of mental illness. The average age was 44 years old.

Income
Poverty is a common trait of GCB clients. More than 82% of clients had an annual income under $10,000, placing them at or below federal poverty level.

Diagnostic Information
Nearly 47% of GCB clients have been diagnosed with pyschotic disorders such as schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder; about 42% have been diagnosed with a mood disorder such as major depression or bipolar disorder; other GCB clients suffer from anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Marital Status
Only 8% of GCB clients were married, while 92% were single, widowed,
separated or divorced.

Housing
Throughout the year, at any given time, about 3% of clients were living in a state Mental Health Institution, and about 1% incarcerated. Although more than 76% of clients were living in their own apartment or home, or with relatives or friends, isolation and the need for support remain a critical need for many.

Education
Over 38% of GCB clients have graduated from high school, but 33% have less than a high school education. About 5% of clients achieved college degrees or higher, and 24% attended some college.

Race
African Americans represented 49% of clients, while they account for roughly 24% of the population in Hamilton County. Asians, Native Americans and Hispanics continue to comprise less than 1% of the total number of GCB clients.

Employment
About 18% of GCB clients were employed either part-time or full-time. While this percentage is higher than the state average of 10% for persons with severe mental illness, it demonstrates the need for more support in helping clients return to or begin to work.