A little over three decades ago, before Diane Fondow began spending time at Seward Community Support Program, she described her life as pretty unsatisfying.

“I was living in a group home with two other women,” Fondow recalled. “My day consisted of going to the hospital, doing groups focused on my mental health and then going home and doing nothing, staring at the wall.”

Fondow’s case manager suggested she visit Seward CSP, a community hub and drop-in support center for people with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI), including debilitating forms of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. Frustrated with the lack of friendships and connections in her life, Fondow decided to give it a try — a trial visit, she thought.

It didn’t take long to realize that Seward CSP was exac

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