Mission & History
MISSION
To help people in Los Angeles pursue personal growth and change. SHARE! empowers people to change their own lives and provides them a loving, safe, non-judgmental place where they can find community, information and support.
VISION
To catch people falling through the cracks
HISTORY
SHARE! was started by people in recovery from trauma and mental health issues. The idea for SHARE! grew out of their frustrations in attending self-help support groups. They repeatedly encountered operational problems that interfered with the healing process. Under the auspices of Emotional Health Association, a California 501(c)(3) corporation, a group of meeting-goers formed a board and working committees. SHARE! officially opened its doors at an abandoned warehouse with a leaky roof in Venice, CA in 1993.
In 1994, SHARE! became the Los Angeles County self-help clearinghouse—keeping track of all the self-help support groups in Los Angeles and making referrals to them.
SHARE! continued to grow, adding more self-help support groups each year. In March 2005, SHARE! became the first ever peer-run contractor with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.
HOUSING
That same year, a homeless volunteer at SHARE! complained that she could not get housing because she did not have a drug or alcohol problem. SHARE! began problem-solving. Inspired by the technique in the movie Apollo 13, SHARE! convened a group of people affected by homelessness and mental health. They challenged themselves to design a program, using only existing resources, with the capacity to house 20,000 mental health consumers over the next five years.
The outcome of these efforts was SHARE! Collaborative Housing. It is a public-private solution to housing for people with disabilities that uses evidence-based, peer-to-peer practices and self-help support groups. The program builds support, resilience and independence at a fraction of the cost of other housing programs.
Since 2019, SHARE! Collaborative Housing has housed more than 2,200 mental health consumers in Los Angeles with annual budgets that have just hit $2 million. (To put this in perspective, the Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) Housing Trust Fund has housed 5,000 statewide since its inception for a price tag in the hundred millions.)
In April 2009 SHARE! opened SHARE! Downtown, its second self-help center on Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles.
The SHARE! Recovery Retreat began serving mental health consumers and their families in 2013. This two-week program helps people discover what they can and want to do with their lives.
The SHARE! Advanced Peer Specialist training program has prepared more than 800 for behavioral health jobs since 2016. In 2022, SHARE! was approved to offer Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Certification training.
SHARE! continues to catch those falling through the cracks. SHARE! accepts everyone who comes through its doors and has never turned away or asked anyone to leave.
HOW IT WORKS
Since 1993, SHARE! the Self-Help And Recovery Exchange has served people through self-help support groups and communities that provide recovery and social support. Participants develop skills to cope with substance use, trauma, mental health disorders, and dysfunctional relationships. They learn to better their own lives, get jobs, reconnect with family and friends and reintegrate into the community.
SHARE!’s programs are designed to support self-sufficiency through social support and community integration. This innovative approach was honored with the Los Angeles County Mental Health Commission Outstanding Program Award in 2013. Click to learn more:
| SHARE! Collaborative Housing | Recovery Retreat |
| SHARE! Culver City | Advanced Peer Specialist training |
| SHARE! Downtown | Volunteer-to-Jobs |
SHARE! looks forward to continuing to innovate and grow!
