AIM Center Inc.

Founded in 1989 by NAMI Chattanooga families, the AIM Center provides a "clubhouse" environment where members partner with staff and other members to develop the skills needed to take charge of their lives and move forward. The program is open to persons with a psychiatric disorder who are 16 years of age or older. Membership is without limits, so individuals may return to the center whenever they need or want additional support. At the clubhouse, abundant opportunities are offered to improve various skills by involving members in the actual work that is essential to the daily operations of the center. Working together with staff and other members to make the center run, individuals begin to feel wanted and needed, to discover their unique talents and abilities, and to develop relationships based upon mutual respect and shared contributions to a common goal. AIM members have equal voices in all facets of the center's operations including planning leisure activities, hiring staff, making decisions about policies and procedures, as well as input in the long-range planning of the clubhouse. Services are provided outside the clubhouse to promote community integration, which includes supported employment, supported education, supported housing, and leisure activities.