Our History

Mecklenburg Open Door, Inc. (MOD) began as a vision in the minds and hearts of a few people who believed that persons with long term severe mental illness had the same rights as all other citizens, specifically as stated in the organization’s original group home proposal, “the right to the fullest possible realization of his/her potential and to the fullest feasible participation in the life of his/her community.”   

These visionaries were relatives of mentally ill persons, dedicated citizen advocates and interested professionals, and they became the first Board of Directors of Mecklenburg Open Door.  They understood that neither confinement in institutions nor isolation in a community residence (or a relative’s home), unsupported by appropriate individual programs, was sufficient to achieve appropriate goals of recovery and independence. 

In December of 1984, Mecklenburg Open Door was formed and soon the agency established its first home under the urban skyline of Charlotte, North Carolina.  The home was conceived as a 24-hour, comprehensive program which would be carefully designed and monitored to meet the needs of each individual resident.  A group home environment of five residents and a staff of dedicated, knowledgeable professionals was assembled.  

Careful study of the program style of that first home revealed that the small intimate environment produced close attachments and genuine love between residents and staff, as well as the all-important feeling of family security for all.  These characteristics still hold true in today’s Mecklenburg Open Door. 

Over the years, Mecklenburg Open Door convinced city government and business leaders that urban development should not interfere with the community’s responsibility to provide services to these unique individuals.  As Charlotte grew to the large city it is today, Mecklenburg Open Door grew as well.  The Cedar Street group home was developed in 1986 in conjunction with the Third Ward neighborhood in Charlotte, who built the house and is still the landlord.  The Board of Directors developed a strategic plan in early 1989 calling for MOD to expand to 6 group homes.  In the early 1990’s  the agency continued its expansion adding management contracts for four HUD homes and two HUD apartment complexes, all owned by Mental Health Association of North Carolina. 

In 1997, the agency assumed the operation of supported employment services of Mecklenburg County Area Mental Health.  Since that time, the Mecklenburg Open Door Supported Employment division has grown to be the second largest provider of employment services in Mecklenburg County.