BRIDGEPORT — The National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater Wheeling hosted an open house Tuesday at the new Bridgeport Drop-In Center.

Ohio Valley Options LLC, a home for men diagnosed with a mental health or substance use disorder, also hosted an open house.

The Drop-In Center provides free services to any adult in mental health treatment. No appointments are necessary.

“It’s just a great place for individuals in mental health treatment to come to find a community of support,” Julie Gomez, executive director at NAMI Greater Wheeling, said.

Keith Miller, director and supervisor of the Bridgeport Drop-In Center, leads most of the activities at the center.

“Keith does fun, different activities every day. We provide free lunch for anybody who attends,” Gomez said.

Gomez said some of the activities include arts and crafts and listening to music.

Gomez said NAMI Greater Wheeling also has a drop-in center in Wheeling, and opening the new location is helping to reach more people.

“This was just a really awesome opportunity for us to sort of expand and come across the (Ohio) river,” Gomez said.

She said the location is convenient and on the public bus route, making it more accessible to people with limited means of transportation.

“I think you have a community that’s thriving when you have a drop-in center like we have. People who are in treatment, who are in recovery, need that additional support and need a community that understands, and this is really what our drop-in center is all about,” Gomez said.

Gomez said she hopes the people in the program “build a sense of community” by sharing their similar experiences.

The location has a sitting area, a crafting area and a kitchen and dining area.

The Bridgeport Drop-In Center officially opened on Sept. 6 in partnership with Belmont, Harrison and Monroe counties’ Mental Health and Recovery Board.

Gomez said she wanted to wait a few months before hosting the open house to “see how things were going” first.

“It’s been really successful,” she said.

Several mental health professionals visited the open house and said they plan to recommend the program to their clients.

The Drop-In Center is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It is located at 855-B National Road.

For more information, contact NAMI Greater Wheeling’s Bridgeport office at 740-609-5407 or namigreaterwheeling@namiwheeling.org or visit namiwheeling.org.

Ohio Valley Options is separate from NAMI but hosted its open house in coordination with NAMI.

“We wanted to do the open houses on the same day so that way, people could come and see sort of both because they’re all related to supporting people who have mental health conditions,” Gomez said.

Kelly Sellers, owner and operator of OVO, said she plans to have the new facility open by March.

“I’m still navigating the licensure process for the state of Ohio,” she said.

Sellers said the home will provide a much-needed service.

“We intend to provide a living space for four adult males with a mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorder. Hopefully, down the road, we’ll be able to provide 24-hour supervision, but initially, we will house individuals who don’t require 24-hour supervision so we can get going and see how things are going and hopefully be able to bring in the funds to afford it,” Sellers, said.

The house is fully furnished, and Sellers said that kitchen utensils and “basic living necessities” will be provided.

She said that staff will provide some meals, but residents will be responsible for most of their own meals. She said that each resident will have a designated cabinet space in the kitchen for their own food. The house also has a washer and dryer and kitchen appliances.

The house has three bedrooms, and the largest room has two twin-sized beds.

There is a large table in the basement of the house, and Sellers said that it will be used for workshops, board games and other activities.

Sellers said she will encourage residents to go to the NAMI Drop-In Center.

“It’s close walking distance, so that’s nice for whoever will be living here,” she said.

Sellers said the home will be open to both short- and long-term residents.

“Sometimes people will just require a short-term stay, but if there’s no program to work through to where you have to leave when the program is over, someone could stay here and call this place home indefinitely if need be,” she said.

Sellers said anyone interested in living at the home would need to fill out an application. She said a referral would be ideal but not necessary.

“If anyone has or is in that position where they are in need of housing and would fall underneath that criteria of having a mental health illness diagnosis, they could always reach out,” Sellers said.

According to a press release from OVO, “Ohio Valley Options would like to offer a safe, non-judgemental option for individuals who may be facing homelessness, living with a mental illness or seeking sober living within the Ohio Valley. Our goal is to offer a sense of belonging without judgment and hopefully provide a new beginning for someone striving for a better option.”

For more information about OVO, contact Sellers at 740-609-5411 or ovoptions.llc@gmail.com.