David’s Harp is a independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1978 through the grassroots efforts of over 100 volunteers and mental health professionals. The founding members envisioned a nurturing community space where adults with mental illness could develop a sense of belonging, while participating in activities that would build their social and cognitive skills.
Today, David’s Harp’s mission is “to provide a warm, friendly and peer-supportive environment in which adults with a major mental illness, regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, religion or race, come together to achieve an improved quality of life and the highest possible level of independence in the community.”
Overall, David’s Harp provides a nurturing, non-institutional setting. The adults David’s Harp serves are our “members,” not clients or patients.
David’s Harp offers a refuge…
“Many people assume that an individual with a mental illness chooses to be socially isolated. Few of us can imagine what it would be like to have no friends, no money, no transportation, no job, no family contact, pets or recreation. We take for granted the comfort we receive from going out to coffee, driving our car to a movie or browsing through the library. David’s Harp offers a refuge for people to feel safe and comfortable, to eat and visit, to be known by their names, and to be accepted just the way they are.”