Our History

Over forty years ago, in 1983, with institutionalized care steadily downsizing and the abilities of those with mental illness being seen with a new, more positive focus, there was a need within the community for A Place to Belong. Banding together, a group of patients and staff from Brandon Mental Health Centre initiated Brandon Community Welcome as a way to fill that need with three basic goals in mind. 

1. Housing: Our founders saw decent, safe, and affordable housing as a necessity, a view that is shared within the organization to this day. This goal was the first to be addressed, starting with 6 independent-living apartments in the Brandon Community Welcome Clubhouse. After the original building manager, Doris Armstrong, campaigned for more housing, Armstrong Place was built on the property for an additional 9 units. Construction was completed and the building opened in 1996, and Grey Owl Non-Profit Housing was born, joining with Brandon Community Welcome to fill the housing need for 15 Clubhouse Members at a time. While a suite on the main floor of the clubhouse has since been converted for programming and administration purposes, we continue to provide 14 members of the mental-health community with a place to call home. 

2. Social: With the need for A Place to Belong, there comes a need for a sense of community. Often taken for granted by the general population, those with mental illness often face marginalization for a variety of reasons, making that sense of community that much more difficult to find. The Grey Owl Programs aim to provide a community through recreation, education and leisure activities with little to no cost. To learn more about how we continue to fill this need within the Mental Health Community, check out the Grey Owl Post-Psychiatric Co-op Centre Inc. page under "Services".

3. Employment: Often the final hurdle for those with mental illness, steady employment was the final goal to be addressed. For a period of time, the Transitional Employment Program was able to help our members make a gradual progression up the ranks in employment, eventually reaching their maximum potential. Unfortunately, due to changes in the eligibility requirements for Provincial Government funding, this program is no longer offered through our organization, and members have since been directed to other community organizations that have since been established specifically for the this purpose.