The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation Impact Award

Stephen McPeake, President & CEO of North Coast Community Homes (NCCH) and NCCH are the honored recipients of The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation Impact Award for Innovation in 2011.

The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation was established in 2001 by Peg Morgan. The foundation contributes in the fields of mental health, education and the arts, with its primary emphasis being mental health. Each year the foundation awards local advocates for mental illness who demonstrate a commitment to improve the lives of people with mental illnesses and to reduce the stigma.

The Award for Innovation recognizes individuals and/or organizations creating new initiatives and demonstrating an extraordinary influence in the field of mental health, arts or education.

In 1998 NCCH was requested to partner with the Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board in developing and maintaining specialized housing for people diagnosed with severe mental illness. NCCH's experience prior to this time had centered on servicing people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

Early in our work in Summit County, it was recognized that serving the needs of people with mental illness differed significantly from the needs of people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. This difference was very evident in the 20-unit apartment building that was developed for people with mental illness who had been living in a H.U.D. (U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development) subsidized apartment building that closed in 2005. The Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation assisted in the renovation of the new building.

When this new building first opened it was plagued with major disruptions due to the appearance of non-residents who regularly imposed their negative and harmful presence on our very vulnerable tenants. Part time police patrolling was instituted to help alleviate this problem and security cameras were installed. Through the cooperation of Community Support Services (CSS), a behavioral healthcare provider in Akron, 24/7 in-house support is now being provided to our residents. Also, the office of NCCH Housing Services Manager, Janice Stahl, is now located in this building.

Along with the maintenance of stable, secure housing and in-house personal support, NCCH has also instituted a housekeeping service that helps tenants maintain the cleanliness of their apartment units. All these changes have brought dramatic health stablizing results to our tenants providing them a stronger foundation on which to build more independent and satisfying lives.

Safe, well lighted hallways and clean kitchens are just part of the program to assist tenants in Summit County.