Home Is Where Her Heart Is

NEA Today, Mar 2006 by Simon, Matt

Maryland's Johnnie Mae Armstrong helps the mentally ill find new homes.

ON THE WEEKENDS, one might find Armstrong combing flea markets and discount stores for bargains on chairs, beds, and other home furnishings. But it's not to feather her own nest. Rather, Armstrong sits on the board of directors of a nonprofit organization in Montgomery County, Maryland, that provides neighborhood housing for people recovering from mental illness. Her specialty is interior design, and the treasures she buys end up in the 21 houses purchased and renovated by her group, which currently serves 75 county residents.

A member of the Montgomery County Teachers Association-Retired, Armstrong says she started helping people with mental and learning disabilities during her 34-year career as an elementary school teacher, when they were her students. Her interest became more personal once she retired, when she learned a relative was struggling to recover from a mental illness.

"I tried to learn everything I could about the support available to people with these disabling illnesses, and quickly found out that publicly funded help was sorely lacking," says Armstrong. "The first time I saw people sleeping on grates in Washington, D.C., it brought tears to my eyes, and I realized that I needed to help."

She's been doing that for eight years. "No one should ever sell a person in recovery from mental illness short," says Armstrong. "Our residents work as cashiers and as drivers. They're going to college-and finishing. They flourish when given the opportunity. I feel blessed that I have my health so I can keep helping those who can't always help themselves."

-MATT SIMON