History of NAMI Southwest Louisiana.

    NAMI SWLA began in 1984 under the name of New Hope for Mental Health, INC.  The organization began as a result of family members looking for support in their community.  Through the help of Lake Charles Mental Health Clinic, a support group was started.  In 1992 New Hope found the Lafayette Alliance for the Mentally Ill who was affiliated with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.  After discovering the benefits of being connected with a national organization, New Hope joined as an affiliate of NAMI and became Southwest Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Inc.  In 1999 SWAMI adopted a name change to become NAMI of Southwest Louisiana, Inc. to be more uniform with the National Organization.  In the last 4 years the NAMI SWLA membership has grown from 16 paid family members to 130 with 550 families on the local mailing list.  The NAMI SWLA office is located at 120 Pujo St. Suite 120 and is still a total volunteer organization dependent on dues and donations as its source of income.

NAMI National Organization Information

   NAMI has more than 1,200 local affiliates spanning all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Canada. Local affiliates generally start as a small group of people who come together to provide mutual support and share information. Some support groups have as few as five or six members. As they grow, the group seeks formal affiliation with NAMI and is chartered through the national and state NAMI offices. In addition to sponsoring support groups for consumers and family members, some larger local affiliates may also take on an advocacy and education agenda. In all cases, members of local affiliates are consumers, family members, professionals, and friends who come together to share and take comfort in the commonality of their experiences and to educate members of their communities about serious brain disorders. In addition to providing support, some affiliates may also: