The Gathering Place

Yesterday I visited The Gathering Place, a nonprofit for people with mental illness. It was situated atop a high hill on Congress St., in a house with lofted ceilings. As I sat down to interview the director in his modest second-floor office, he excused himself for having to finish an e-mail. The computer was ancient. As we talked, the telephone rang intermittently, and Scott Kreps, the director, picked it up; people came in and out and one of the clients even sat down and said he'd partake in the interview as well. Scott was the only staff person present. He had a lot on his plate.

I asked Scott what services The Gathering Place provides. He replied that the organization provides a "range of mental health services," from crisis support that has people phoning in dealing with harming themselves or being suicidal, to on-site services to do with medication, family, or increased symptoms from illness, as well as therapeutic support. The Place especially emphasizes peer support.

It also provides "an environment," which includes food, support programs (some social), such as creative writing and poetry, stress management and music therapy. Members of the organization vote on its rules and issues, and half of the board of trustees is clients.

The 317 Board funds the majority of TGP's services. They give $118,321 a year--a "really small" amount, according to Scott, considering it's split among three different agencies (one in Logan and another in McArthur, Ohio). Scott gets paid hourly instead of having a salary.

"As the executive of an agency, to be hourly...it's wild," Scott said.

He said he tries to raise money, but "it's an even greater challenge for community mental health. There's a stigma. If it were a center that provided services for Parkinson's, we'd get a check from Michael J. Fox."

Scott's directed the TGP for four years out of its 33-year stay in Athens. He reemphasized that the main problem facing people with mental illness today is stigma, citing an opinion poll in which people believed those with mental illness were 30% more likely to be "dangerous" than they thought 15 years ago.

Mental illness' relative invisibility is also a problem, according to Scott.

Scott, reclining in his office.

"It's a silent crisis," Scott said, comparing mental illness once again with Parkinson's. "Parkinson's is easier to understand. As it's a physical illness, people want it gone, whereas with mental illness you can't see it."

Finally, if there's one thing Scott could change about TGP, it'd be its financial resources.

"We could buy coffee," said one client who had wandered in. That's a good starting point.

Clients gather around a table to eat and converse.