Listen: Meet The Need, Day 16 of 50 brings us Grand Avenue Club, an organization that offers a range of services to people who have experienced mental illness, with a focus on employment. In our discussion, Executive Director Rachel Foreman touched on a number of topics, but there was one simple point that stood out in my mind that shed a new light on the basic need picture -- individuals who are not able to meet their own basic needs want to provide for themselves. Nobody wants handouts if they can help it, and oftentimes, what is holding an individual back from meeting their basic needs is out of their control. I saw a living example of this point, as Rachel brought a member of the club to the interview. Earlier this year, after not being able to hold down a job, Greg John found himself homeless. Through a stroke of luck and with the help of a friend, he was diagnosed with major depression. In his piece, Greg's voice clearly conveys how grateful he is for what Grand Avenue Club has done for him, as well as the acceptance, being somewhere where he feels at home. In the first three pieces, Rachel gives a picture of who experiences mental illness in Milwaukee and why employment is so important to those individuals. Then, Greg tells his story:
-Employment is a serious problem for those who have experienced mental illness -- Grand Avenue Club tries to solve that problem: