Rhonda Wallace knows the importance of having a facility like West Place Clubhouse in the community.

She sees its impact daily when members come in to learn skills that will help them find a job or are seeking additional support.

“This keeps people out of the hospital because it is volunteer based. Nobody’s forced to come here,” said Wallace, the facility’s director.

“They’re not mandated to be here, they all come because they want to be here and they want to make changes in their life. It’s really a great program, and we’re like the best-kept secret in Westmoreland County.”

West Place Clubhouse offers several services centered around employment training for people with a mental health diagnosis.

Originally founded in the county in 1990 as a drop-in center, the facility has grown into a three-unit center with an accreditation from Clubhouse International, an organization aimed at helping people with mental illness.

Having a mental health diagnosis and a referral are the only requirements to becoming a member at the facility, which is a subsidiary of Excela Health.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, about 20% of adults in 2019 experienced mental illness. In addition, 5% of adults experienced a serious mental illness that year.

In 2016, 17% of youth between 6 and 17 years old experienced a mental health disorder.

At West Place, located off of North Tremont Avenue, there were 30 members as of August in addition to staff members.

Today, the Greensburg facility offers career development, a transitional employment program and a hospitality unit.

In the career development unit, members learn how to use computers and how to find employment opportunities. Members also can find jobs through the transitional employment program, where they complete clerical work and are given resources to obtain the GED or pursue further education opportunities.

The hospitality unit gives members the chance to work in a kitchen where they learn how to cook and how to portion out meals.

In addition to the kitchen, the unit offers a cafe where members can learn inventory, customer service skills and how to run a cash register.

According to Wallace, members at the facility are given goals they focus on throughout their time at the clubhouse.

“Everybody’s on their different levels of recovery,” Wallace said. “It’s probably the most accepting program that I’ve been to ever because everybody understands. It’s not a clique, everybody wants to help one another.”

Phyllis Burton, 59, of Greensburg, first started attending West Place in 1992. She has been in and out of the program for the past 25 years and most recently started attending the Greensburg location about seven months ago. Today, she is working on being less isolated and becoming a better listener.

In addition to her own goals, Burton, who has a communications media degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a degree in computer applications from Westmoreland County Community College, helps other members learn computer-related skills.

Similarly, Stefan, who asked to be identified only by his first name, has found employment opportunities through his time at West Place.

The 32-year-old from Irwin first began going to the facility in 2018. Today, Stefan is learning leadership skills by training people on how to use the snack bar and register, as well as customer service skills.

“Worst thing for someone with mental illness is to be alone,” Stefan said. “Worst thing. In a community like this, you have people you can talk to, you’re feeling stressed, we talk about it — or sometimes just doing an activity keeps someone from being stuck in their head, so that’s an important thing. We have a very caring and loving staff also that help out.”

Tina Zebroski, 49, of Greensburg, raised her now 27-year-old son, Benjamin, while going to the facility. Zebroski, who first started attending West Place as a 19-year-old, said those at the center pushed her to keep going, leading her into a career in the mental health profession. In addition, she has worked with the Miracle League and sits on the West Place board.

Benjamin Zebroski is learning job skills such as working the cash register and completing inventory.

“Here you don’t stop,” Tina Zebroski said. “You keep going, you keep moving and we just want to see this grow and be more support to people in the community.”

For Burton, West Place is helping to combat a stigma that surrounds people with mental illness and suggests they cannot work.

“Part of West Place is to make sure that you don’t fail,” she said. “It’s to give you that confidence to be able to go and do whatever kind of job you want to do.”`

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