More than 100 community members attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house of the new allcove drop-in center for young people. Photos by Karen Tapia
New drop-in center offers a safe haven for young people
Chloe stood before a crowd of community leaders and supporters Thursday evening, sharing a story that many young people know all too well – but few are brave enough to tell publicly.
Two years ago, the youth advisory group member was clinically diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Three months ago, she was hospitalized following a suicide attempt. But this week, the 17-year-old high school senior was celebrating the ribbon cutting of allcove San Juan Capistrano, a youth wellness center she helped design.
"I personally, as someone who has struggled a lot with mental health challenges, would have greatly benefited from a place like this," Chloe told the gathering at the new drop-in center. "Dealing with those challenges, dealing with the pressures of society, of school, has really impacted the way I see mental health."
The center has received $6.2 million in funding from CalOptima, the Commission for Behavioral Health, and the Child and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative. It is operated by the Wellness and Prevention Center, in partnership with UC Irvine, and represents a new approach to youth mental health services – one designed entirely with input from young people like Chloe.
"If we want to address youth mental health, we need to create spaces they want to use and services in ways they want to engage with them," said Stephen Schueller, UC Irvine psychology professor and co-founder of the center. “There's a huge need for mental health services for young people, and allcove offers those services right now."
The center serves youth ages 12 to 25 and offers counseling, peer support, family support, and community activities – all free of charge, regardless of insurance status. Young people can simply walk in without an appointment.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley emphasized the urgent need for such services, citing sobering statistics: 36 percent of 11th graders in Orange County report depression-related feelings, and 50 percent of all mental health conditions begin by age 14.
"Adults, ages 18 to 24 in Orange County, are significantly more likely than the overall population to need behavioral health services," Foley said. "This kind of space is so amazing."
What makes allcove unique is its youth-driven design. The Youth Advisory Group, which includes Chloe and other local high school and college students, has been involved in every aspect of the center's development over the past two years – from selecting furniture fabrics to determining programming, said Susan Parmelee, executive director of the Wellness and Prevention Center.
"This is our first home,” she said. “We borrowed other spaces, we've rented other spaces, but now this really feels like home.”
Guests toured the two-story building, complete with a learning kitchen, clothing swap area, food pantry, and laundry facilities, quiet areas, big and small meeting spaces, all things the young people said they needed most.
For Chloe, who has been on the Youth Advisory Group for about a year, the center represents something more than just mental health services.
“allcove essentially offers something very rare, which is quite unfortunate," she said. "It offers an environment where young people, teens, young adults can come to find support, to feel understood, and to feel, most importantly, loved by their community."
The San Juan Capistrano location is the fourth allcove center in California, part of a model developed at Stanford University and inspired by Australia's headspace program.
Dr. Steve Adelsheim, director of the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing who led the creation of the allcove model noted that while Australia now has 180 such centers, California is just beginning to build its network.
"We're going to continue to need your support because it's one thing getting these places open, and it's a whole other thing keeping them open and expanding them," Adelsheim told the crowd.
Chloe's message to other young people struggling with mental health challenges reflects her journey from isolation to advocacy.
"I hate the phrase, ‘you're not alone,’ because I genuinely think that everyone's story is radically their own," she said. "But, ever since coming to allcove, being on the youth advisory group, has made me realize that, yeah, I'm not alone, and not because other people will fully understand what I'm going through, but I'm not alone in the sense that I'm not the only one who's passionate about this."
The center officially opened its doors following the ribbon cutting ceremony, with tours led by staff and youth advisory group members. Community members were encouraged to ask the young people wearing allcove sweatshirts about their role in shaping the center's mission.
“Every story is uniquely your own, but there are people who are here to support you and people who are like-minded like you and want to make a difference in this world and in our communities,” Chloe said. “I'm so glad it's finally open.”
Jason Schiffman, UC Irvine psychology professor and chair of the community consortium, which is made up of allcove partners, said the new center is about compassion.
“The spirit of the allcove is all about love and family and bringing people together,” he said. “The community consortium is driven to bring folks together, to access resources that may be hidden, but are available, and to share… as we build toward sustainability and serving and listening to youth.”
Kelly Bruno-Nelson, CalOptima Health executive director of Medi-Cal/CalAIM, echoed Schiffman’s remarks.
“Healthcare is no longer just medical,” she said. “It's medical, social and behavioral. It's the whole person, and that's what this represents. We also recognize that we cannot provide healthcare if we do not engage the folks who we are serving. Youth are engaged in this. Youth designed this. Youth have been involved from the beginning, and that is absolutely the best practice. We are better together. I think every major partner that exists in south Orange County has been engaged in this project, and this was not something that you were afraid of. This is something that was embraced. So congratulations to everybody. We should all be very proud. This is the future.”