Heartland Mental Health

A nonprofit organization

match

Live

Fundraise

$1,695 raised by 15 donors

23% complete

$7,500 Goal

About

Custom Tab

We envision a community of wellness where members will flourish and live their best, self–directed lives.

Testimonials from our Members

"Heartland saved my life. They got me in as a new client when I was at the end of my rope, and other places couldn't get me in for months. I love the community we have here. They give me so much love and support. There's no other place I'd rather be."

"Before coming to Heartland, I was admitted to the hospital nearly every two weeks for years. After switching to Heartland for my mental health care, and for the last twenty years of being part of this community - I've been hospitalized only twice."

"I am a 41-year-old man with bipolar disorder. I have been treated at the Heartland clinic for 10 years. Heartland has helped me live a normal life. I have a good part-time job working for Heartland the Drop-In Center, that I have worked for over six years. That is the longest I have ever held any job, and I owe my success to Heartland and the amazing support I receive there."

"I have learned so much from attending the weekly member board meetings. I now know what is involved in keeping an organization running. I know what a budget looks like and how a meeting is structured. I hope to remain on the board for many years to come."

"I cannot say enough about Heartland Mental Health! I have been with Heartland since May of 2000 and we have gone through several positive changes in that time. I have seen up close exactly how the partnership model is meant to work. This is something I'd never seen before in my 20 years experience in the mental health system... I've learned a new way to approach diagnosis and treatment issues through being a part of Heartland."

"When I first came to Heartland I stayed off in the corner by myself. Eventually I got involved with the member board. After being on the board for a year I became Co-President. I started speaking at workshops about how Heartland has helped me change my life. I feel Heartland belongs to the consumers [members] rather than the staff. I don't know of any other mental health center where clients get to have a say about hiring staff. At Heartland, I feel like my ideas and feelings are important and that they are accepted. Going to Heartland has given me the confidence I now have in myself. I don't know what I would do without Heartland."

Mission

To transform lives by providing supportive member-centered, culturally responsive mental health, wellness and recovery services.

Background Statement

In 1989, Heartland Mental Health was founded on a revolutionary idea: giving people with serious mental-health conditions a voice in their own care. They created a drop-in center and an outpatient mental health clinic in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood, providing a safe space where individuals could actively participate in decisions about their own well-being.

This pioneering approach is now more recognized in the healthcare community. Heartland’s core philosophy is that true and lasting empowerment comes when individuals managing mental health conditions can make their own choices and have access to reliable, ongoing services.

At the heart of everything Heartland Mental Health does is the belief that peer support is essential for recovery. Centering lived experience means individuals who have personally navigated mental health challenges are involved in every aspect of the organization's operations. This model ensures that all services and programs are deeply rooted in understanding, empathy, and a shared journey toward wellness.

Heartland recognizes that people living with serious mental health conditions face significant challenges beyond their symptoms, including a lack of understanding from society, unfulfilled basic needs that can perpetuate a cycle of illness and poverty, and a higher risk of homelessness and social isolation.

In a direct response to these systemic issues, Heartland Mental Health uses a member-driven approach providing a supportive, community-based environment where individuals can not only receive services but also actively participate in their own recovery journey while simultaneously supporting the recovery of their peers.