Dwayne Mayes, Director, Community Access’s Peer Advocacy Center in Harlem and Steve Coe, Executive Director, Community Access

Dwayne Mayes, director of Community Access’s Peer Advocacy Center in Harlem, swivels in his desk chair and points to a large question mark on the back of his head. It's not a fashion statement; it's a scar from the hot grease his mother poured on him at 18 months. His arms bear the triangular marks of an iron.

For the first five years of his life, Dwayne was brutally abused until his mother left with his three other siblings, leaving Dwayne with his father. He never saw his mother again. She committed suicide. Depression runs in the family, and as Dwayne grew older he grew introverted and paranoid. Spiraling downward, he began to self-medicate. His dependency on crack led to a life on the streets and in shelters.

It wasn't until he was 30 that Dwayne was diagnosed with mental illness and received the proper treatment and medication. Sixteen years later, his "ascent back to the living," as he calls it, has been remarkable. His daughter, whom he raised as a single dad, has her sights set on Brandeis University, and Dwayne will be married this May.

For Dwayne, there's no question about his purpose. His work is a key part of Community Access's efforts to assist people who have psychiatric disabilities and would otherwise be homeless make the transition to independent living. "My greatest hope," he says, "is that my life and work will inspire others and help people understand mental illness."

In 1977, the founders of Community Access pooled their money to purchase two small buildings that housed 44 single tenants and 20 low income families. In 1979, Steve Coe became the first paid employee. In the thirty years since, Community Access has created more than 800 units of both transitional and permanent housing for low-income families and mentally ill individuals. Steve states, "We believe the people who understand homelessness and mental illness the best are the people who have experienced it. That's why we are committed to hiring staff who have suffered mental illness and homelessness."

Community Access was founded in 1974 by people concerned about the massive number of patients who were suddenly discharged from state-run psychiatric hospitals. Three years later, Steve Coe became the first paid employee, and he continues to lead the organization. Community Access has created more than 800 units of both transitional and permanent housing for low-income families and mentally ill individuals. They also provide substance abuse counseling, continuing education and employment programs, while advocating for the rights of people with mental illness.