Oasis House
Bell’s Oasis House, an accredited member of Clubhouse International, is a place where people with a mental health diagnosis come to rebuild their lives and regain what they have lost: employment, education, companionship, connections to their community, and self-respect.
Who are the Members?
Oasis House members are adult men and women who are working within the clubhouse to guide their recovery from the serious mental illnesses they live with everyday. The clubhouse offers people a support network to help cope with mental illness in everyday life. Membership to the clubhouse does not have dues.
Clubhouse Philosophy
A key component of Oasis House is the member/staff partnership. Members and staff work side by side in all aspects of the clubhouse. When walking into a clubhouse, one should not be able to distinguish staff from members.
As an accredited member of Clubhouse International (CI), Oasis follows 37 standards set forth by CI which focus on participating in meaningful work, pursuing education and employment, and having a safe place to develop relationships. Another important component of the clubhouse is the power of the members and staff to jointly make choices about the clubhouse.
All decisions regarding the policy and procedures of the clubhouse are made during house meetings. In addition, members have the ability to choose what opportunities they will participate in within the clubhouse.
Oasis House operates under what is called a “work ordered day.”
This approach engages members and staff in running the clubhouse together. The work ordered day is an eight hour period Monday through Friday during which the business of the clubhouse is done.
This includes planning and preparing daily meals, staffing the reception area, running the snack bar, calculating billing, publishing a newsletter, keeping up with the grounds and maintenance of the building, and orienting new members.
Oasis House also offers a specially designed Transitional Employment Program (TEP). TEP gives members opportunities to strengthen their skills and confidence to prepare them for entry or re-entry into competitive employment.
How do I become a Member?
Oasis House accepts referrals from various sources including York County MH/IDD, hospitals, clinicians, and psychiatrists. We also take self-referrals. Clubhouse membership is open to adults with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, major mood disorder, and psychotic disorder NOS.
Stay in the know with Bell’s clubhouse happenings by following the Oasis House York Facebook group page.
For more information, contact Lori Leister at 717-848-5767, ext. 1416.