In the 1960's, Rochester did not have a place for people discharged from psychiatric hospitals who were not ready to live on their own. At that time, the local Mental Health Association (MHA), headed by Hilton Hedrick, developed a plan to increase care for persons with major mental illnesses in the community.

As a result of that plan, a group of local Rochesterians who were active with the MHA, created East House. Founding Board members included retired State Supreme Court Justice David O. Boehm; Hettie Shumway, an active community volunteer and philanthropist; Ralph Collins, M.D. and James Sterner, M.D., former medical directors from Eastman Kodak; and Paul Wolk, a former local businessman who moved to Virginia.

These founding Directors, led by Paul Wolk and Hettie Shumway, contributed their time and personal resources to become incorporated as a not-for-profit organization. In 1966, with the additional support of local foundations and private donations, Dorothea Brayer was hired as the first executive director of East House. In 1967, a large rooming house at 109 Dartmouth Street in the southeast part of Rochester was purchased and renovated into a single home named East House. The program, with three employees with an annual budget of $39,000, became the first halfway house in upstate New York and one of the pioneer programs in the country for persons recovering from mental illness.

East House Chronology

1966:	East House is founded by retired Justice David O. Boehm, Ralph Collins, M.D., Hettie Shumway, James Sterner, M.D., and Paul Wolk.
1967:	The first home, Collins House, opens.
1970:	Pembroke House opens.
1971:	Mental Health Apartment Program introduced.
1973:	Crossroads Program initiated with the opening of Hanson House.
1975:	Sterner Hall opens in former downtown YMCA.
1976:	A second Crossroads home, Blake House, opens.
1981:	Sterner Hall closes and Shumway House opens.
1982:	Wolk House, the fourth mental health community residence, opens.
1984:	Boehm Lodge, a quarterway house on the grounds of Rochester Psychiatric Center, opens.
1985:	Case Management, Vocational Services and Family Services are developed.
1987:	Monroe Square administrative office opens.
1988:	Cody House, a local landmark in Corn Hill, becomes the third Crossroads house.
1989:	The Mental Health Independent Living Program begins.
1992:	The Crossroads Apartment Program begins.
1994:	The Pinny Cooke House for women in recovery opens.
1996:	The Learning Center begins.
1997:	East House/R.I.T. Summer Enrichment Program begins.
1997:	Administrative office moves to Lac DeVille.
1997:	Boehm Lodge moves into a new home on South Avenue.
1998:	Crossroads Apartment Program expands to serve women with dependent children and hearing impaired clients.

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