Baltic Street Resource and Wellness Center
The Center promotes community inclusion through the use of natural supports and normalized roles. The Center is a place where a person can learn to balance the mental, physical and spiritual aspects of their lives. This is accomplished through traditional peer centered tools such as the 8 Dimensions of Wellness, WRAP, Harm Reduction, and healthier eating and budgeting and introducing other person-centered wellness concepts to the Center’s participants. The Center also focuses on alternative healing practices through art, yoga, music, writing and philosophy workshops. As well as several Clubs including Book, Poetry, Photography and Gardening. Each Peer Resource team member brings their own individual gifts and talents to the groups, workshops and clubs that they facilitate.
Community Resource and Wellness Center Mission:
- The Center provides a haven for adults with mental health lived experience.
- The center promotes ongoing recovery through peer support, advocacy, empowerment, and social skills development in an environment that promotes CREATIVITY and INDIVIDUALITY.
Community Resource and Wellness Center History:
- Baltic Street AEH, Inc. opened the Community Resource & Wellness Center in 2010
- The Center opened as a drop-in center offering person centered recovery and holistic tools for recovery such as music, art, writing and poetry.
- The Center was managed and operated by peer specialists willing to share their lived experience.
- The Center has worked to foster and build greater community understanding of those with mental health lived experience.
- In 2018 the Center partnered with the NYC Mural Arts Project to create a community mural and panels for the Center to continue our community outreach. The mural was installed at PS 24 in 2019.
- In 2019 the Center partnered with Brain Food Garden Project to offer nutrition-based workshops and to create an maintain a garden greenhouse.
- In 2019 during a country wide shut down at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center created well received online community programming and a warm line operating 5 days a week to continue to keep our community connected.
- In 2019 the Center partnered with the Vet-to-Vet program to bring peer-based support to our veterans.
- In 2020 the Center celebrated its 10th Anniversary. While the Center was still closed during the pandemic, we held online events including Open Mic Nights and an Open House.
- In 2021 the Center partnered with Oscar Jiménez-Solomon from New York State Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center to create the Financial Hope Support Group the pilot is scheduled to begin early 2022.