Serving the Ozarks: NAMI of Southwest Missouri
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The NAMI Hope Center in downtown Springfield is providing a vital network of support for individuals seeking a safe and welcoming environment to address mental health challenges.
The center offers free daily group therapy and serves as a community safe haven for anyone in need.
This week, as part of our 'Serving the Ozarks' series, we highlight the impactful work of the local NAMI chapter and the story of one man who rebuilt his life with their help.
'We are about everybody just knowing that we're all in this together,' said Jess Pratt, Director of the NAMI Hope Center.
The NAMI Hope Center is a crucial resource, particularly for the one in five adults who experience a mental health condition.
Serving the Ozarks: On Angels' Wings
'People can drop in and receive services. Everything that we have here is free,' Pratt explained. 'We have our daily support groups, and each support group is led by someone that lives with that mental health condition.'
The center operates with the help of dedicated volunteers who create a supportive foundation, enabling individuals to take steps toward stability in their lives.
Pratt emphasized the importance of peer support, stating, 'Just knowing that you have people that get it and have been through the struggle, and they just know that they can come here and be free and be at peace. And this is their safe haven.'
Randy Wayne Rossell first learned about NAMI while he was unsheltered. 'We ended up getting off the street and into our own place,' Rossell said. 'And so every now and then, we come up here, do a little volunteering, come to classes.'
NAMI's free services were instrumental in helping Rossell and his girlfriend rebuild their lives.
'They've done everything from helping us filling out paperwork to helping us with argument stuff,' Rossell said. 'They'll help you with anything to help you charge your stuff, help you get bus passes to get to jobs. I mean, they're a godsend.'
Serving the Ozarks: Dogwood Ranch
This non-profit organization is serving the Ozarks by offering peer support and tackling various issues without the burden of stigma.
'The trials, the trauma, but yet still the happy side of it too,' Pratt reflected. 'I've seen families reunited that haven't been able to talk to each other in a very long time. We've been able to make that happen. I've seen so much, and it's just so amazing and so powerful.'
Rossell added, 'It's amazing what they can do for people if you just let them.'
You do not need a diagnosed mental health condition to access NAMI's services, and relatives and caregivers are also welcome to receive free support.
For more information on how to get involved or access services, visit NAMI.org.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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