PRINEVILLE – Some days Pam Richardson, who suffers from bipolar disorder, shows up at the Turning Point Clubhouse in Crook County to work in the thrift shop or to participate in activities or outings.

But most of the time, Richardson, 49, goes to the clubhouse just so she doesn’t have to be alone.

”With bipolar, if you don’t get out and get dressed, you turn into a hermit,” Richardson said. ”You sit in your apartment, close the drapes, watch TV and don’t leave the couch.”

It’s people like Richardson, who was diagnosed with a mental illness, that the Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority (CORHA) hopes to serve by building a low-income, eight-unit apartment complex in Prineville.

Most of the apartments would be one-bedroom units. The agency is negotiating with the city of Prineville to buy a half-acre lot near downtown.

The lot is expected to cost about $50,000, according to Steve Wilson, a project manager for the agency.

Most residents would be funneled from places like the clubhouse, which is sponsored by the Crook County Mental Health Department. The clubhouse caters to people who suffer from severe and persistent mental illnesses.

People with bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, experience extreme mood swings as well as severe changes in their energy level and behavior, according to the National Institute of Mental Health’s Web site.

On Tuesday, Richardson hung out in the community room of the clubhouse teasing her fellow members and handing out Christmas cards.

Christmas decorations lit up the room. A sign labeled ”Anti-Stress Kit” hung on the wall with the instructions, ”Bang Head Here,” written inside a circle. The dining table was set for lunch.

At the drop-in site, clients like Richardson have a gateway to services meant to help them build work and social skills, stabilize their illness and become more self-sufficient.

Beyond its core mission, the clubhouse has become a de facto community where members commune in a haven of understanding and camaraderie.

Gena Grizzard, the clubhouse coordinator, said Turning Point, which has been around since 2001, offers a support system for its 30 members.

”It gives a family atmosphere,” Grizzard said. ”It’s a kind of home-away-from-home that is very nurturing and meaningful for members.”

The housing agency is hoping to duplicate that same environment at the proposed Prineville complex. It will be modeled after Emma’s Place in Bend, which offers long-term, low-income housing to people diagnosed with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Residents at Emma’s Place receive case management that links them with other social service agencies. They can also tap into vocational training, take part in group counseling and get help with life skills such as managing finances and personal care. In return, the residents agree to stay sober.

Sarah Haefele, the case manager for Emma’s Place, said the Deschutes County Mental Health Department evaluates each resident to determine the level of service they need.

Some are checked on periodically while others require daily visits and medical management, she said.

”We’re just an outlet for them so they don’t get lost in the community and hibernate,” she said.

Because it’s not transitional housing, most residents stay at the 11-unit complex indefinitely, she said.

February was the last time an apartment was available, and before that, it had been more than a year, she said.

”It has a great impact because a lot of our clients end up at apartment complexes where there are temptations,” she said. ”This is a safe environment for them to make better choices.”

She said the community gathering room – dubbed the family room by residents – and the computer lab provide social hubs for residents to mingle and to bring guests.

Gary Smith, the director of Deschutes County’s mental health department, praised Emma’s Place, which was built in 1999, as a successful partnership between his department and CORHA.

”It’s the best living situation. It’s a safe, clean and positive, and it’s turned their lives around in many ways,” Smith said, referring to the residents.

He said supportive, affordable housing had been a missing element in mental health care before Emma’s Place and others like it came along.

”The residential support and the vocational support are the keys to mental health recovery,” Smith said.

”Without the solid foundation of a place to live and a job, they are doomed to being in the same desperate situation they’ve always been in.”

Cyndy Cook, the executive director of the housing agency, said the success of Emma’s Place inspired the agency to establish similar complexes in other Central Oregon communities.

After building the complex in Prineville, which the agency hopes to start by next fall, CORHA will look at developing one in southwest Redmond on the site of its former offices.

Construction costs for the Prineville project haven’t yet been determined, Cook said. Emma’s Place cost just over a $1 million to build, she said.

Each complex will have a different look and its own special name.

”Our mission is fostering dignity through affordable housing,” Cook said. ”We feel that all vulnerable folks in the community deserve that environment.”

Because the agency uses federal and state grants to provide affordable housing, residents would have to meet income levels at or below 50 percent of the median income, she said.

For example, a single person would have to earn $16,000 a year or less to qualify for one of the one-bedroom apartments. She said most residents earn 30 percent of the median income and receive some kind of federal assistance as their main source of income. Rents would range from $196 to $368.

Like Emma’s Place, residents for the proposed Prineville complex would be referred by the Crook County Mental Health Department and its partner agencies.

Nancy Tyler, the director of Crook County’s mental health department, said the complex could fill a gap in affordable housing for its clients.

The department currently has 230 open cases, or clients they serve, she said. Right now, she said, the department works on a case-by-case basis to help place their clients in other low-income housing. They also work with the clients and their landlords if they run into financial problems.

”One of the things is if someone has issues with mental health, if housing is not adequate or stable, then that can contribute to someone destabilizing and possibly ending up hospitalized,” Tyler said. ”This is an opportunity to live in a really wonderful environment with support services.”

Ernestine Bousquet can be reached at 541-504-2336 or at ebousquet@bendbulletin.com.