Alliance House is more than a program, its a thriving community

A hand-drawn 1952 neighborhood map appears on a wall at Alliance House. Part of the building was originally Salt Lake Fire Station Number 9 and firefighters used the map to navigate the city’s streets. 

Today, that same space serves as a refuge for those experiencing mental health challenges, by offering community and purpose. “What we really love about it is that it reminds us that this building was originally built to save lives,” said Damon Talbot, “and it still does.”

Talbot has been a member of Alliance House for eight years and serves as a board member. He first found the center after going through serious life upheavals that triggered past mental health issues. His attendance was hit-and-miss until his absence was noted and two concerned members showed up on his doorstep.

“They came and found me,” he said. “Since that moment, I haven’t missed a single week at the clubhouse. I’m here most days...It really changed my life.”

Alliance House, located at 1724 S. Main Street, was established in 1987 by three families in Utah with adult children struggling with mental illness. They traveled to New York to learn about Fountain House, a “clubhouse” model that allowed members to share their experiences and participate in events. 

They brought the clubhouse model back to Utah and partnered with Valley Behavioral Health to create a supportive space offering structure, education and community for adults with mental illness. 

Those who join Alliance House are considered “members,” a term that reflects belonging and shared ownership. Today, more than 340 clubhouse programs operate in over 30 countries, all based on the same inclusive model.

“We want to bust those stigmas around mental health because it’s a thing where there’s a lot of shame around it,” said Margaret Mann, an Alliance House social practitioner. “When you come in these doors, we don’t need to talk about your diagnosis or what meds you’re on. We’re going to talk about your strengths, your interests, or what brings us all together as a community.”

The Alliance House structure encourages members to participate in the daily functions of the clubhouse. Its work-ordered day offers a business, culinary and career development unit where members can choose to spend their time, matching skills to opportunities. The program helps people find employment, finish high school or college degrees and trains them to serve as faculty members. 

Kevin Leary serves on the culinary team at Alliance House, preparing lunch for the members and staff. Each member can choose a job that fits their goals and skills. (Peri Kinder/City Journals)

Deanna Tymofichuk has been a member of the clubhouse for 14 years. With her background in accounting, she works in the business unit, managing fiscal operations including paying bills, handling donations and overseeing housing payments. 

“We manage the rental properties and all the management that goes into that,” she said. “We manage the maintenance and then we do other miscellaneous things like help people with their transition out of homelessness and into apartments.”

Because many people with mental illness experience homelessness, Alliance House is dedicated to finding housing support for its members. It has 10 studio apartments for people transitioning out of homelessness. Those units are rent-free for six months and capped at $200 after that. 

The organization will also open the new 16-unit, deeply-affordable Nelson-Christiansen Apartments at 1805 S. Main Street on Friday, Sept. 26 at 9 a.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony. 

While Alliance House was part of Valley Behavioral Health for many years, it broke away to be a stand-alone center to allow its members more decision-making freedom and autonomy. 

“It’s given us a chance to work with a lot more partners and, now that everything is settled, and we have made that transition, we’re able to grow so much more,” said Rebecca Cross, Alliance House associate director. “We’re able to build the way we help some of our unhoused members and expand our services…I feel like we have a solid team of great staff and members that work together well.”

Referring to participants as “members” gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility within the clubhouse, along with a feeling of belonging they often don’t find elsewhere. Whiteboards placed throughout Alliance House act as communication centers, outlining daily tasks and noting where help is needed. Jobs are broken into manageable steps, making participation feel less overwhelming.

Each day, the culinary team prepares lunch that can be purchased for $1.50. The team develops menus that include suggestions from members and staff. Talbot makes his homemade chili each October and other members contribute recipes from their own cultures, introducing favorite foods to their friends. 

“With the demographics we have, there are some refugees,” Talbot said. “They come and make us Bosnian food or Indian food, all the different things they like from their home countries.”

Support is key to the success of Alliance House. When a member hasn’t been seen for a few days, someone will call or members will stop by their home. There are also regular shout-outs through social media, acknowledging accomplishments with employment, education, housing and personal goals.

Members enjoy wellness activities, after-hours events and Saturday adventures, as well as relationships gained through working and serving together. They make lifelong friends, often spending the holidays at Alliance House.

The Salt Lake location serves as a training center where members from other clubhouses can learn how to operate a functional space. Recently, it hosted training for members from Norway and Hawaii. It also gives members the opportunity to attend conferences around the country. For many of those people, it’s their first time staying in a hotel or flying in a plane.

“They have never taken a trip like that,” Talbot said. “So to be empowered in that way, to have those opportunities is great for them to share their stories and be a part of that.”

There are six clubhouse locations in Utah. Along with Alliance House, members can find clubhouses in Provo, Tooele, Davis County, Summit County and St. George. There’s also talk of building another Salt Lake County location on the south side of the valley. For more information, visit alliancehouse.org or follow the Instagram page @alliance_houseslc.

The public is invited to attend an Alliance House fundraising breakfast on Friday, Sept. 19 from 8-9 a.m. at Squatters (147 W. Broadway). The annual event allows donors and interested parties to learn about the program.

“We like to refer to ourselves as an opportunity center, a place where members can come and feel valued,” Talbot said. “One in five people has some sort of mental health diagnosis…so we know there’s a lot more in Salt Lake that could use our services or be a part of our community.”