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Article: Strapped for cash, clinic may close; A free mental-health clinic in Minneapolis is struggling to uphold its unusual mission.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- Article date:
- April 2, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Star Tribune Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Maura Lerner; Staff Writer
Psychologist Gary Schoener remembers when his clinic was able to get by on free rent and good intentions.
It was 1969, when he and a bunch of other idealists set up an all-volunteer counseling service on Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis. He never imagined that it would still be there 37 years later, providing free mental-health care to anyone who walks in the door.
Or that now, after all this time, the Walk-In Counseling Center (WICC) might be on the verge of closing.
The center, which has been a refuge for thousands of troubled teenagers and adults, is running out of money, according to officials.