Advocacy

CIAD helps residents understand their rights and improve their quality of life. This is a critically important role CIAD plays for residents, who have few other advocates. CIAD staff both provide information to residents to promote self-advocacy where possible, and assist residents in situations where help is needed.

Our advocacy work includes:

Resident Rights Trainings

CIAD’s residents’ rights training provides residents, adult home staff and other mental health providers with an understanding of resident rights and the adult home regulatory system. CIAD regularly holds workshops in the homes about the NYS Regulations for Adult Homes, and distrubutes copies of our Resident Rights Handbook.

Complaint Handling

CIAD helps residents resolve individual complaints, and assists individuals to connect with valuable resources such as housing assistance, affordable transportation, and mental health programs. We have successfully advocated on behalf of residents concerning their finances, access to information about housing opportunities, and issues of safety, mental and physical care.

Information Distribution

CIAD strives to connect residents to resources outside of the adult homes. These resources include:

• MTA Half Fare Card Drives
  CIAD has worked with the MTA to organize drives where residents get assistance in filing the half-fare card application, have their photo I.D. taken, and have the form signed by a public notary. Half-fare cards not only save residents money on public transportation, but also provide a source of photo identification. For more information about MTA's Half Fare Program, click here.

• Verizon Lifeline Phone Service
  In most adult homes, phones with outgoing service are not available to residents. Because of this, residents have even less contact with the outside world. CIAD has worked with many residents to help them sign up for Lifeline, a phone service offered by Verizon for low-income people. Lifeline costs are as low as $1 a month plus ten cents a call, with a $5 dollar installation fee. For more information about Verizon Lifeline Phone service, click here.

• Mental Health Service Providers
  While there are hundreds of service providers in the city, because of the institutionalized setting in adult homes, many residents are unable to access the services they want or need. CIAD connects residents to mental health services including:

   

  Baltic Street Mental Health Board:
  Offers a comprehensive array of programs and services which help people obtain jobs, housing, social supports, education, vocational training, health benefits, entitlements and other community services that have the potential to greatly enhance their quality of life.

  Venture House
  A clubhouse program located in Jamaica, New York that strives to enable consumers to lead successful lives in the community by providing opportunities for meaningful work, sustaining relationships, secure housing, adequate income, access to medical care, and opportunities to pursue educational and personal goals.

  Community Access
  A not-for-profit agency, helping people with psychiatric disabilities make the transition from shelters and hospitals to independent living. We provide safe, affordable housing and support services, and we advocate for the rights of people to live without fear or stigma.