Coloring Day at A Place to Belong 


Some Back History on AP2B
Headquartered in Fergus Falls, MN, we have two clubs: Fergus Falls and Detroit Lakes. We serve adults in Otter Tail and Becker Counties of Minnesota who have serious and persistent mental illness. Because we are a club, we refer to the people we serve as friends or members. Most of our members live alone in their apartments and struggle with isolation, loneliness, and poverty. Occasionally they will have bumps with law enforcement, and have ongoing problems with money management, rent, problem solving, and relationships. They tend to have behavioral symptoms that limit their success in relationships as well as employment. Some are homeless, and most are extremely poor. Most members participate in out-patient treatment of one kind or another and work hard to avoid hospitalization.

A Place To Belong started in 1997 when the state mental health treatment facilities were closing and people who were in residential care were being discharged into the community. Area consumers and professionals alike were very concerned about what these individuals would do with their time when they were no longer supervised and not participating in treatment. How would they cope with isolation and loneliness? With the support of the State Legislature, funding was allocated and social clubs began cropping up throughout Minnesota. A Place To Belong was among the first social clubs and continues to be among the most successful.