Bringing Mental Health Care into the Living Room

“There are times when I get some real bad things happening inside of me and I had nowhere to go.”

When a group of civic leaders and law enforcement professionals serving Western Springs and LaGrange gathered for a candid conversation about local needs, they all shared one urgent concern: access to mental health care in their communities.

The occasion was the second annual On the Table: an event designed to unite people across the Chicago region in mealtime conversations that can help build stronger communities. Together around the table, they shared ideas—and one took root.

Two years later, The Living Room in LaGrange opened its doors. A nationally recognized model of support for people with mental illness, the Living Room provides a welcoming, familiar setting that aims to decrease unnecessary hospitalizations, break the cycle of isolation and develop a peer-based support network for every community member who reaches out for help.

But how did this mental health milestone move from dinner-table talk to reality? Hear the story in this video from Free Spirit Media, produced in partnership with the Community Memorial Foundation, following its evolution and exploring the essential services it’s providing.