Brooklyn Clubhouse helps people with mental health challenges
March 19, 2025
PIX11 News
Henry Rosoff
BED-STUY, BROOKLYN (PIX11) – Most of the time, this first sentence of a news story involving someone experiencing a serious mental health crisis details something horrible that has spilled out onto the streets and subways.
This is not that story– It is the one that prevents that story from happening.
PIX11 News was given behind-the-scenes access to the “Brooklyn Clubhouse,” one of several locations around the city aiming to help people in crisis.
Clubhouses offer people with serious mental health challenges a mission to go along with the free meals they serve. The Bed-Stuy location has a business center where people can learn basic job skills— a learning center.
But it is the sense of community and belonging that changes the lives of New Yorkers like Christina Buie who felt so alone for so long.
“Sometimes when we cry, we cry of joy, not of sorrow,” said Buie. “I am so blessed to be here, you know. Knowing where I came from, I am glad that I am a member of the clubhouse.”
Buie gave a teary-eyed testimonial directly to Mayor Eric Adams during a visit to the clubhouse Wednesday. The city is one of the primary funders of places like this, and it is operated by the organization Services for the UnderServed.
Adams even helped out with the lunch rush during his tour. Although there were some smiles and lighter moments, the Mayor acknowledged the seriousness of taking care of so many who are so close to the edge.
“The clubhouse is preventing those incidents that we hear about of shoving someone to the tracks,” Adams said. “This is the upstream. Downstream is what you see in the subway, with people believing they can only live on the street. So this is the preventive step.”
The Brooklyn Clubhouse serves roughly 250 people.