Fiscal Year 2007 Program Report: Microsoft Word Format

FISCAL YEAR 2007 PROGRAM REPORT

Community Access, Inc. would like to thank all of our generous donors for their support in the past year. We are pleased to present this report of our activities and accomplishments during our Fiscal Year 2007 (FY07). We have not only continued to uphold our founding pledge to assist people with psychiatric disabilities make the transition from shelters and institutions to independent living, but we have also been able to continue our tradition of pioneering innovative methods to reduce the isolating effects of psychiatric disabilities. Between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, our dedicated staff accomplished the following:

Housing

Construction of the building at 772 East 168th Street/1189 Tinton Avenue, Bronx, was completed in December 2006. The 60-unit building (59 studios and a 2-bedroom superintendent’s apartment), developed in partnership with the Community Housing Information Center (CHIC) was fully occupied as of April, 2007. Forty-three of the studios have tenants with a psychiatric disability; the remaining apartments were rented by low-income tenants from the neighborhood.
Construction of the eight-story building at 1750 Davidson Avenue, Bronx, began slowly in August 2005 due to the extreme site conditions (the lot is steeply sloped and was full of rock). The contractor, Vertical Construction, completed the building in mid-August, 2007, and we await the final Certificate of Occupancy. Our co-developer is Dunn Development Corp. (our co-sponsor for 910 DeKalb and 1363 Franklin). The architect is Saky Yakis of SLCE Architects (who also designed our buildings at DeKalb and Franklin Avenues). This building consists of 73 studio apartments (44 of which will be set aside for people with a psychiatric disability). The Program Director and support staff for the building are in place. We expect to begin admitting the first tenants by the end of November, 2007.
With a new General Contractor in place as of March 2007, construction on the 53-studio-unit building at 29 East 2nd Street, Manhattan, will be completed in December, 2007. Our partner in the project is the Cooper Square Committee, a Lower East Side non-profit. The tax credit syndicator is the National Equity Fund. Thirty-two of the studio apartments will be set aside for people with a psychiatric disability, and the remaining units will have low-income tenants from the local area.
At the end of Fiscal Year 2007, we provided over 800 people with housing at various support levels. All of our permanent and transitional housing facilities continue to run efficiently and at extremely high occupancy rates (96% average). Our consistently high occupancy rates and high tenant stability demonstrate high tenant satisfaction with our housing program.

Employment and Training

The Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy Center (HTH Center), a center created in 1995 to provide employment and training for people with psychiatric disabilities, continues to create innovative programs that address the needs of a population most agencies are not prepared to work with. People with multiple (or combined) histories of mental illness, homelessness, substance abuse and incarceration continue to seek Community Access out for these programs.
In FY07, HTH Center had many noteworthy accomplishments, including: HTH provided training, consultation and technical assistance to various providers in Ohio, Florida and Connecticut in order to develop their Forensic Peer Specialist Training Program in the image of the nationally acclaimed Howie the Harp STARR program.
The completion of the Recovery Pilot Project that integrated Peer Facilitators and recovery oriented practices into continuing day treatment programs. This was done in Collaboration with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Coalition of Behavioral Health Services.
HTH provided training, consultation and the placement of Peer Specialists and interns at a men’s shelter in Brooklyn. This is a Peer Bridger project that provides Intensive Peer Services to men with Psychiatric disabilities, histories of substance abuse, homelessness and incarceration. The goal is to help these men transition from the shelter into community housing. This project was done in collaboration with the Institute for Community Living and CAMBA.
HTH hosted the After Crisis Workgroup Conference in collaboration with the National Gains Center. This conference focused on disaster planning, utilizing Peer Support Models to respond to disasters. HTH was part of a Collaborative effort with many New York City agencies to develop a Peer Specialist Conference hosted by the Hunter College School of Social Work. Nearly 300 working Peer Specialists participated, many of them Howie the Harp graduates.
HTH in Collaboration with NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene began to place interns at Rikers Island as Discharge Planners working with consumers under the Brad H. Settlement Act.

For FY07, the HTH Center served 332 mental health consumers.

17 completed the Peer Specialist training Program Graduates
19 completed the Forensic Peer Specialist Program Graduates
48 attended the ACE Human Services Placement Program
94 previous HTH graduates continued to receive retention and career advancement services
26 graduates were placed on internships
66 graduates were placed in competitive employment with the average salary being $12.72 an hour.

Club Access

During FY07 Club Access had a total membership roster of 421, with a monthly active membership of 162 and an average daily attendance of 40 people. This is an increase in active membership of 14 over the prior year.
Club Access continues to refine and target activities in its Career Clubs and supports members seeking varied employment opportunities. During FY07 the number of members employed through the Transitional Employment Program was 13; three members were employed through CA’s Supported Employment Program, and ten members obtained independent employment. Additionally, several members elected to pursue volunteer jobs; all members receive requisite services and supports regardless of the type of employment.
The Art Collective is a full service art studio and gallery that affords artists of Club Access a way to express themselves. The studio is an encouraging and supportive environment that expands opportunities for personal and professional artistic development. We are assisting many talented member artists to gain career entry into the NYC art market. Membership at the Art Collective increased by 15% during the first half of 2007. In addition to this increase in membership, the sale of 23 artists’ work placed over $20,000 directly into their pockets.
In FY07, Club Access continued to provide year-round social opportunities for its membership including attendance at museums, the ballet and other cultural events, parties sponsored by the clubhouse and other organizations, participation in exercise and sporting events such as softball and volleyball, as well as daily partnering with other members to run the clubhouse program. Membership services staff provides monthly receptionist desk training to all members and oversees recreation. At a monthly recreation planning meeting members decide which activities they would like to be involved in.
The Wellness Unit helps educate the members of Club Access with wellness activity groups, where members learn healthy lifestyle choices. Membership participation helps maintain the functions of the Wellness Unit and sustain its progress. The Wellness Unit has implemented healthy choices into our snack bar, including serving smoothies as an alternative to juices and/or fruit. We have implemented vegetarian dishes, and we provide members the opportunity to choose what they would like for lunch at our monthly menu planning meetings. Resultantly, our meal service has increased from 7-10 people daily to 20-30 people daily.

Advocacy and Public Policy

During Fiscal Year 2007, Community Access continued its leadership role in the NY State Campaign for Mental Health Housing. This initiative aims to increase the housing supply and supportive services that would enable thousands of people with mental illness to move into independent housing. The January campaign rally attended by 1800 supporters attracted favorable press coverage and resulted in a state budget of $300 million for mental health housing and support services. This funding will help add 2,000 new beds to the system statewide and provide funds to preserve and reform mental health housing services.
In the fall of 2006, CA co-sponsored a Legal Symposium with the NYC Bar Association. The purpose of the event was to increase public awareness of mental health law and to educate lawyers to better advocate for clients with mental illness. The symposium featured eight distinguished panelists. Continuing Legal Education accreditation was granted for the educational forum that was attended by thirty people.
CA developed a training curriculum and hosted 10 trainings throughout NYC to educate consumers impacted by Medicare Part D. One hundred fifty attendees who were dual-eligible for Medicaid and Medicare increased their understanding of how this new program changed their benefits.
CA staff and consumer tenants at our building on DeKalb Avenue planned a Brooklyn Advocacy Event in April, 2007. Thirty-five people attended, including two U.S. Congressional Representatives and a Community Board member. The local officials were educated on issues of mental health, housing and other concerns to the DeKalb/Brooklyn local community.

Officers and Board Members

Joshua Auerbach, Treasurer

Vice President, Alliances and Technology Strategy, Time Warner Inc.

David Kuperberg

President, Cooper Square Realty

Stephen Chase President

President, Clean Venture, Inc.

Catherine Patsos, Esq.

Attorney, Katten Muchin Rosenman

Carole Darden-Lloyd

President, Montclair Court, Inc.

M. Alexis Pollock

Attorney, Dreier LLP

Carol Davidson

Vice Chancellor, Institutional Advancement, Jewish Theological Seminary

David Perry Secretary

Vice President, The Clarett Group

Dr. Cynthia Green

Member of the Board, Governmental Accounting Standards Board

Karen Roth Vice President

Senior Director, New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (RET.)

Miriam Kravitz

Consumer Advocate

Ramesh Shah

Chairman, WNS North America, Inc.

Curtis Wood

Partner, Wood, Rafalsky & Wood