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NAMI EASTSIDE |
NAMI Eastside Origins and History NAMI Eastside is a local affiliate in East King County, WA of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI). We are a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the concerns of local individuals with brain disorders and their families and friends. Our mission is to improve the quality of life of those persons affected by acute and chronic mental illness through support, education and advocacy. 
OUR BRIEF HISTORY: NAMI Eastside incorporated on January 6, 2001 in response to the need for a local NAMI organization focused specifically on Eastside King County mental health concerns. In the early months we worked to officially become an affiliate of NAMI National and NAMI Washington. We began holding planning sessions in office space provided by the United Way. We opened a checking account, started a web site, acquired a telephone number and a P.O. Box and rapidly became a spirited virtual organization! In July 2001 we received a startup grant from the United Way of King County, which we used to initially fund most of the programs and activities that today are part of our core services to the public. These include our monthly forums, Family-to-Family classes, support groups and this web site. In the fall of 2001 we joined forces with an established support group for Parents of Children with Bipolar Illness. Later, we added a support group for parents of children with other mental health concerns. Since then we have added several more support groups, more forums and more courses. Our Housing program formed in January 2002 to address homelessness on the Eastside and the special housing needs of people with brain disorders. We began providing the NAMI-C.A.R.E peer support group in July 2002. We launched a new Peer-to-Peer class for consumers in April 2003. On December 5, 2005, NAMI Eastside opened the doors to HERO House to serve the rehabilitative needs of persons with serious mental illness by providing a place and a program where each member can regain Hope, Empowerment, Relationships, and Opportunity. Thanks to the generous support of donors and grantors, HERO House is soon to be entering its third year of successful operation. As we have grown we have benefited from many individual donations and the fundraising activities of volunteers. In 2007, NAMI Eastside hosted the NAMIWalks for the Mind of America fundraising program in association with other state NAMI’s raising $103,724. While the challenges faced by people with brain disorders (mental illnesses) seem daunting we are inspired by the numerous consumers, parents, spouses, adult children, siblings, friends, and professionals who have stepped forward as volunteers to provide each other with information or simply a caring shoulder. Due to these efforts, as of 2007 our foundation of services to the East King County community includes: • Seven Support Groups for families and individuals with a mental illness • Monthly Educational Forums at Evergreen Hospital • Two 12-week Family-to-Family Classes and a Peer-to-Peer classes each year • In Our Own Voice (IOOV) and Educating the Next Generation training • Ongoing training for group facilitators • A program to advocate for long-term housing solutions on the Eastside • An office in Redmond on the Family Resource Center campus • A bi-monthly newsletter, NAMI Eastside News • A lending library of books, videos and magazines available free to members • The NAMI Eastside web site • Relationships with Overlake, Evergreen, Fairfax Hospitals and Sound Mental Health • Ongoing relationships with Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond City staff, King County Council Members and staff, King County Regional Support Network, State Mental Health Division staff, and State and Federal Representatives
• Efforts to bring future programs to the Eastside that will educate the community and lead to better support for our friends, families and neighbors who need it
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