Samaritan Center Wabash Valley Friendship Clubhouse to Move Locations

At Thursday’s Good Samaritan Board of Governors meeting, the board approved moving forward with a remodel project in order to relocate the Wabash Valley Friendship Clubhouse (WVFC). The WVFC is a program that provides opportunities for people with mental illness to live normal and productive lives. Due to an increase of members, the Clubhouse will be moving to a different, larger location.

WVFC is organized to support people living with mental illness. While participating in the Clubhouse, members gain access to opportunities to rejoin the worlds of friendship, family, employment and education. WVFC is a restorative environment for those whose lives have been severely disrupted because of their mental illness. “The purpose of the Clubhouse is to provide a safe place for members to connect with others and the Clubhouse community,” said Dave Engstrom, Clubhouse Coordinator. “We work side-by-side with our members helping them in their recovery to build confidence, be more active and break isolation.”

The current location of the Clubhouse located at 401 S. Seventh Street in Vincennes, has met the members’ needs for the past year; however, the space has reached its limit as more members continue to join. The average number of members over the last two months has been around 16-18 per day. WVFC has approximately 80 members total.

The new location will be at 501 S. Sixth Street in Vincennes, one block away from the Samaritan Center Bayou office. The space is approximately 4,800 square feet and will include a thrift store, conference room, dining space and a fully functioning kitchen. The new location will be able to accommodate around 40 members per day without over-crowding. The move-in date for the new location is scheduled for the end of September 2022, depending on the progress of construction and availability of supplies.

Good Samaritan’s 2022 capital plan included $550,000 identified for the build-out of the Clubhouse. During Thursday’s meeting, the Board approved the base bid of $456,744 from Wolfe Construction, and an additional $47,800 from Wagler Roofing were accepted. A 2% contingency of $9,100 was also approved to cover any unforeseen circumstances that may arise during construction. The total amount approved Thursday by the Board of Governors was $513,644. Good Samaritan already committed $33,000 for architect services and $3,197 for demolition work. The total cost of the project will be $549,841.