In the Community – Vera French

Thank you to our friends at Northwest Bank & Trust for giving me the opportunity to share some detail about the work of the Vera French Community Mental Health Center.  

“Vera French” is a family of non-profit Iowa corporations encompassing the Vera French Community Mental Health Center (the Center), the Vera French Housing Corporation (Housing), and the Vera French Foundation (the Foundation). 

Founded in 1949 as the Scott County Mental Health Center, our agency strives to be a center of excellence which collaborates with our community partners to advance mental health for all and deliver high quality, accessible, healthy living solutions.  In 1982 (two years after the retirement of our agency’s longtime Executive Director, Dr. Vera French, MD, PhD) the Scott County Mental Health Center was renamed in her honor.  Since our founding, our agency has always been (and continues to be) an independent provider of community-based mental health services to all who need them.  Vera French is locally governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who, through our CEO, oversee a team of over 200+ talented medical, clinical and behavioral health service providers. 

In 1985, the Vera French Foundation was created as a subsidiary of the Center to help spread compassionate awareness of mental illness in our community and to inspire generous giving. 

In 1994, recognizing that safe & affordable housing is a critical healthy living solution for people striving to recover from mental illness, the Vera French Housing Corporation was created.  Vera French Housing assists individuals with persistent mental illness obtain permanent, affordable housing linked with community-based mental health services.  Vera French Housing currently owns & operates 127 apartment rental units scattered throughout Davenport and Bettendorf.  By 2023, Vera French Housing will own an additional 14 units for over 140 within its real estate portfolio. 

More information about the work and programs of Vera French can be found on our website (www.verafrenchmhc.org).  Many of these services, as well as the flexibility to create new programs to respond to our community’s needs, are possible in part through an endowment held and managed by Northwest Bank & Trust.  This endowment was created in 2017 through created through a generous legacy gift within a supporter’s estate plan.

Vera French serves thousands of our community’s most vulnerable each year.  As we go into the holiday season, we are grateful for the Quad Cities’ generosity to support community-based mental health services for all.  Thank you!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a joyous 2023! 

For more information on any of our services, please visit www.verafrenchmhc.org