Juan Bernardo Gonzalez

Juan has been a resident of the South County Homeless Project since April 2006 and is President of the Resident Council there. “My relationship with mental illness began with my brother who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. It was very painful for me to see him in crisis,” he said.

Juan also suffered from depression most his life. Finally, in 2002 after a year long period of extreme depression, he lost his job and became homeless. “As a Latino man, it was very hard for me to accept my illness,” Juan said. When he did seek help, services and information in Spanish were scarce. “I had to go to places where no body spoke Spanish. If you did find a place I would have to wait months.” Today, Juan, through his outreach work in the Latino community is working to have materials printed in Spanish.

In June 2006, BOSS Health Director Phyllis Sakahara invited Juan to represent the Latino community in a Mental Health Services Act conference. “I was at a table with people from Clinica de la Raza and others. I learned that the Latino community lacked representation.” Juan responded to the need dramatically – he is now a staunch advocate for social justice and the rights of mental health consumers.

He is a member of the Steering Committee of the Alameda County Pool of Champions, and Chair on the Diversity Group. He also Chairs the Pool of Champions Orientation and Outreach Committee, and serves as a Trainer for the Pool of Champions Telling Our Story Committee. “Juan is organizing and informing people on how to get involved with the policy of the Mental Health Services Act that mandates a system change that is “consumer driven.”Phyllis Sakahara said. “He is a major benefit to our community – a peer advocate, totally bilingual, fluent in Spanish and English.” Juan is also member of the Alameda County Public Awareness Committee that deals with stigma and discrimination issues concerning mental health, and also serves on the Alameda County Spirituality Committee. He works closely with Jay Mahler, Consumer Relations Manager for Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services.

In 2007 he was a recipient of the Alameda County Mental Health Board Volunteer Award for his outstanding dedication and work for the rights of consumers and was appointed to the Bay Area Regent of the California Network of Mental Health Consumers Board. He is currently attending Chabot College to become a consumer provider. He is technical director for a Comcast TV show called Alameda County Mental Health Matters. “This work has turned my life around. My goal is to be a spokesman and an advocate for the Latino Community during the mental health transformation relating to Prop 63*,” Juan said. (*Proposition 63 is a state initiative passed by voters to allocate new funds for mental health services.)

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