Owning assets (savings, securities, a home, etc.) provides both a cushion against financial crisis and a foundation for long-term economic self-sufficiency. People with mental illnesses face unique challenges in building assets, including limited income, public assistance asset limits, and too few asset-building opportunities that are responsive to their needs. This workshop will explore why owning assets is essential to the economic security of people with mental illnesses and will present arange of asset-building and asset-preservation strategies.

• Amanda Feinstein, program officer for economic security, Walter and Elise Haas Fund, San Francisco, CA
• Megan O’Neil, project manager, Access to Assets, World Institute on Disability, Oakland, CA
• Moderator: Suzanne Clifford, member, NAMI National Board of Directors, Indianapolis, IN