Our History

The Center for Living and Learning was founded in 1986 by The Lackey Family in an effort to provide a recuperative environment for their brother Donald.

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Suffering with chronic schizophrenia, Donald had been in several treatment programs across the country without any long-term success. His family decided to start a program close to home to develop a setting for his recovery.

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They decided to allow Donald to become a study patient for the then experimental drug Clozaril. Donald began to show marked improvement. While his condition and management needs were stabilizing, licensure and staff were pursued for the Center For Living and Learning to become a formal residential treatment facility.

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In 1988, CLLN officially began to accept other residents into the program.

In 1992, CLLN added a multifaceted horticultural vocational program to provide job training.

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Today The Center for Living and Learning Nashville is an ideal environment for the recovery and reintegration of persons needing a holistic treatment approach for their illness.