NAMI San Mateo County (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) was established in 1974 as Parents of Adult Schizophrenics and later became The Alliance for the Mentally Ill of San Mateo County. It is now one of over 1000 grass roots affiliates of NAMI National, The Nation’s Voice on Mental Illness, covering 50 states. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) exempt organization governed by a dedicated volunteer Board of Directors comprised of family members who have a loved one with a mental illness. We operate and budget independently of NAMI National.

Our Mission: NAMI San Mateo County is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with a mental illness and their families through support, education and advocacy.

Our free services and programs include:

• Maintaining an office in Belmont staffed Monday through Friday from 10am to 2pm. by volunteers answering phone questions and providing information on resources for anyone seeking help.
• Maintaining an office lending library of books and tapes about mental illness.
• Monthly family support group meetings held throughout the County at six locations.
• Ten monthly educational meetings for members and the public.
• Publishing ten monthly newsletters per year.
• Offering twelve week NAMI Family-to-Family classes to help family members understand the clinical treatment of mental illness and learn coping skills four to six times per year from East Palo Alto to Daly City.
• New NAMI Peer-to-Peer classes by and for consumers of mental health services launched in 2003.
• Providing speakers to other organizations ( churches, schools, educational classes, etc.) and
• Advocating for persons with a major mental illness and their families on a county, state, and national level.

Funding for NAMI-SMC comes from membership contributions (approximately 250 paid members), donations, and special events.