In the 1980s, 20 family members who had children with serious mental illnesses joined two NAMI MN leaders to establish a Ramsey County affiliate. The state organization had existed for less than ten years, and operated with a single staff person. Following NAMI core principles, the fledgling NAMI Ramsey affiliate began offering support, education, and advocacy, through two support groups at Centennial Methodist Church in Roseville for both families and people living with a mental illness. A third group for people who heard voices met at People Incorporated’s Apollo drop-in center in St. Paul.
NAMI Ramsey County provided outreach and information through a monthly newsletter and an educational booth at the Ramsey County Fair. We also held parties for holidays, including Halloween, and a summer picnic, and created a Forensic Network to support people in prison and their supporters. These hard-working early local NAMI leaders packed the county’s mental health advisory councils and some members served as chair. In 1988, the state mandated each county in Minnesota to have such advisory councils, giving them unique status.
In the 2013, the Apollo Center was closed after Ramsey County funding was shifted to job placement and vocational training. Around this same time, another program that fostered hard-won friendships amongst those with mental illnesses, the Friends program run by Mental Health Resources, was defunded. NAMI Ramsey County went to bat. Their president had benefited from these programs. While initial efforts failed, sustained affiliate advocacy resulted in the opening of a Ramsey County Clubhouse International, in 2024 in St. Paul. Clubhouses offer social support, and help members get jobs.
(Thanks to NAMI Ramsey County charter leader Anna Mae Marschall for this information.)