Independence Center began accepting Members in 1989 following a two-year fundraising and planning initiative started by Lake County residents seeking aid for mentally ill family members. It became clear the resources needed by those with chronic mental illness were not prevalent, and if these family members and other afflicted community members were to ever have a chance at living normal, healthy and productive lives, the community would have to support them in a new way.
1 in 5 adults in America experience a mental illness, amounting to 140,000 in Lake County. Mental Illness is completely unbiased: Members come to us from all over Lake County. Their ailments don't care about the color of their skin, their religious affiliation or their household income. Regardless of their differences, they are the same in their struggles to rise above their mental illness.