Grassroots Empowerment Project Inc (GEP) is a Wisconsin state-wide, non-profit organization that is controlled and directed by mental health consumers/survivors.  100% of the Board of Directors and 100% of the staff are persons labeled as having mental illness.  We are funded by the State of Wisconsin- Department of Health Services, with federal Mental Health Block Grant dollars.  We also receive funding from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Adminstration (SAMHSA) and work under contract with OptumHealth. With the funding we receive we were able to:

• Provide technical assistance to 12 consumer run organizations throughout WI that provided peer support services such as:  support groups, non-crisis phone line services, consultation to state and local mental health committee’s, formal and informal education seminars, social activities and participating in community events. All services were provided by mental health consumers/survivors. In 2010 these 12 organizations:

   

  • Provided 2,390 mental health consumer's/survivors direct Peer Support services
  • Provided Peer Support through non-crisis telephone calls (warmline) to 8,444 callers
  • Provided 24,803 hours of direct Peer Support services to consumers/survivors throughout Wisconsin
  • Utilized 375 consumer/survivor volunteers, who volunteered 26,549 hours

Click to view a map of the sites.    

Click to view "The Success of Consumer Run Services In Supporting Recovery"

• Holds an annual consumer conference- a two day educational opportunity by consumers/survivors for consumers/survivors with over 230 participants.
• Hold the annual Empowerment Days-a 3 day event to bring together over 150 consumers/survivors to the state capital to meet with policy makers and discuss their ideas and solutions for improving the mental health system and other health care services.
• Sponsors the statewide mental health consumer/survivor network- United We Stand Wisconsin which
  • Promotes recovery for all
  • To share information on issues that we find important to our recovery
  • To work together with policy makers to improve the services we receive
• Sponsors the PeerLink program in Milwaukee, Brown, and Racine Counties, which provides certified Peer Specialist services to over 150 OptumHealth members.
• We provide education and technical assistant to organizations and government entities on making recovery a reality for those they serve.
• We provide training for consumers/survivors to become Peer Specialists. To date, 86 consumers/survivors have been successfully trained.

For more information on Grassroots Empowerment Project contact:
Molly Cisco, Executive Director
800-770-0588 or mollycisco@msn.com