This story was provided by the Human Resources Center of Edgar and Clark Counties and is published by the Clark County Post as a community submission.
There’s a moment Sean Blair doesn’t talk about often — a quiet night in his childhood bedroom when the weight of the world felt too heavy to carry alone. He was in middle school, and the darkness had crept in the way it sometimes does, uninvited and relentless.
“The thoughts of acting upon those thoughts came across my mind,” Blair recalls. “I was standing there, praying to God — ‘Use me in some way, shape or form as a light for you.'”
He says something shifted that night. The depression didn’t vanish overnight, but a sense of purpose took root. From that moment forward, Sean Blair knew he wanted to help people who were hurting.
Today, he works the front lines of that calling at the Human Resources Center of Edgar and Clark Counties (HRC), where he serves as a peer support specialist in the Living Room Program — a free, walk-in mental health resource available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to anyone in the community who needs it.
The Road That Led Here
Blair grew up grounded in faith and drawn to people. He pursued a psychology degree in college and was on track to become a school psychologist — until an unexpected setback derailed his plans.
“We got raided by the FBI,” he says matter-of-factly, “and I got let go because they didn’t have funds to keep me there.”
It was a gut-punch, no question. But it opened a door he hadn’t considered.
That fall, at a high school football game, Blair ran into Tara Ogle, who told him something refreshingly direct: she needed workers who showed up every day and could be counted on.
“I said, ‘Well, that fits my M.O.,'” Blair laughs. “And it’s in the realm of mental health.”
He applied, interviewed with Megan Schaefer, and joined the HRC team. What could have been a detour turned out to be exactly where he was supposed to land.
“It kind of chose me,” he says, “in a place where I was confused about what I was supposed to be doing with my life.”
What Peer Support Actually Looks Like
Ask Blair to describe his job, and he’s clear about what the Living Room is — and what it isn’t.
“We’re not your traditional counselor or therapist,” he explains. “We don’t make a plan with someone and follow up with them each week. We don’t stay with a client for months on end.”
What they do is something arguably harder to define and as important: they show up. Walk-in, no appointment required, no judgment, no checklist to get through the door.
“We’re open 24/7, walk-in based. The role is to provide peer support for a wide range of mental health issues for people who may need it — when they feel comfortable coming in or calling.”
That word — comfortable — matters. For many people in crisis, the biggest barrier to getting help isn’t availability or cost. It’s the courage to reach out at all. The Living Room meets people exactly where they are.
Why It Matters
Blair is quick to point out that his own experience — navigating depression and dark thoughts without formal treatment — is more common than most people realize. He didn’t see a therapist as a kid. He wasn’t medicated. He found his way through faith, purpose, and time. But he also knows that not everyone finds their way without support.
That’s precisely why peer support is so powerful. Blair isn’t speaking to people in crisis from a textbook — he’s speaking from experience.
“I use that instance to kind of base my goal of helping people in mental health, the present and future,” he says of that pivotal night in his bedroom. “It still lives in my head rent free.”
His faith remains central to his work. But the Living Room, he’s clear, is for everyone — regardless of background, belief, or circumstance.
HRC’s Living Room Program is available free of charge, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No appointment is necessary. Call 217-712-9766 or visit in person.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can also call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and confidential, any time of day or night.
For more information about HRC’s services, visit www.hrcec.org or call 217-465-4118.
HRC — Helping people help themselves since 1968.
