The clubhouse model has its roots in a support group formed in 1943 inside Rockland Psychiatric Center in New York; when people were discharged they met in New York City, initially on the steps of the New York Public Library to continue supporting each other. The group called itself We Are Not Alone (WANA). With the help of volunteers, the group was able to buy a brownstone on West 47th Street in Manhattan, which had a fountain; in 1948, when the group formed a non-profit, it named itself "Fountain House". Elizabeth Schermerhorn helped raise the funds to buy the house and set up a foundation to support the group. In 1955, when the organization first hired professional staff, John Beard, a pioneer in Community mental health services from Detroit, was hired as director and formalized many of the program, but keeping the focus on the community as a source of mutual support for members. One of the key programs instituted at the time was a prevocational work-readiness program, which placed people in temporary part-time jobs to help them prepare to find permanent work.