Who we are

Who We Are

About

We provide services through our Core Services Agency on North Capitol Street and Day Program, which operates on the fifth floor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in downtown DC, both of which are certified by the DC Department of Behavioral Health. We are also accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (for more information, click HERE).

About Our Clients

In any given year, we help more than 4,500 DC men and women. Nearly 91% of our clients are African American, ages range from 19 to 96 (33% are 55 or older), and 28% are homeless or staying in shelters. Depressive disorders comprise the #1 diagnosis (39%) followed by schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders (25%), and bipolar disorders (17%). All of our clients are working toward recovery, independence, and personal success. Read more about our clients here.

From small beginnings come great things

The 1970s and 1980s marked the height of deinstitutionalization in the District and large numbers of individuals with mental illness, many of whom were institutionalized for years and ill-equipped to live independently, were released into the community with little to no treatment, skills, income, or housing. This was evident by the large number of former patients who were living on the streets, incarcerated, or caught in cycles of rehospitalization. The Reverend Doctor Jack E. McClendon, a long-time pastor at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church (NYAPC), envisioned the need for community-based care in DC subsequent to the release of hundreds of patients from the District’s only psychiatric hospital, St. Elizabeths. So in 1980, McClendon Center had its start as a social outreach mission of the NYAPC.

Over the years we outgrew our original mission, and in 2003, became legally independent of the church by incorporating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization. In 2006, we were certified by the DC Department of Behavioral Health as a Specialty Provider of Rehabilitation/Day Services; in 2007, we established a second location to house our Core Services Agency (CSA) for our psychiatric treatment and community support services. Our services were again greatly expanded in 2009 when DC closed its network of government-operated mental health centers.

Today, our administrative staff and Day Program continue to be housed in the NYAPC and our team of mental health specialists provide assistance to more than 1,000 men and women at our CSA. We are committed to the principles of continuous quality improvement. Our clients are the primary beneficiaries of our services, while the community at large is benefited by their improved ability to be full members of our community. In a concerted effort to best serve our clients, the Joint Commission, the DC Department of Behavioral Health, the DC Department of Health Care Finance, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the McClendon Center Board of Directors, among others, all contribute in the evaluation process regarding the Center’s performance.