When a young person in crisis walks through the doors at the Pacific Clinics TAY (Transitional Age Youth) Tunnel Program in Oxnard, they find someone like Peer Partner Denisse Quintero ready to listen and offer help. Like Denisse, almost everyone on staff has “lived experience.” That means they have been through the very same things that these young adults (18 to 25) are experiencing – homelessness, mental illness, absent families. Just five years ago, it was Denisse herself who came to the TAY Tunnel looking for support.

Opening Doors To Behavioral Health Careers Through Pacific Clinics’ Recovery Education Institute
Recovery Education Institute, an academic program for adults living with mental health challenges or living with a family member with mental health challenges, helped open doors and a kickstart a career for Conrad.