Programs & Services
Overview
Local Programs and Services
MHA-NYC provides life-saving programs, services and resources for
adolescents, adults and families in need.
Children and Adolescents
Research demonstrates that individualized, family-driven
care with a focus on the strengths of children and families, not on
their deficits, results in better outcomes for children's mental
health and emotional development. MHA-NYC has been a leader in
putting these core principles into action since 2002 when a six
year System of Care Grant by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration was awarded to develop a comprehensive system of
care throughout New York City called the Coordinated Children's
Services Initiative.
MHA-NYC's Adolescent Skills Centers strive for and succeed in
offering smart and distinctive programs to give adolescents and
young adults with serious emotional and mental health issues the
opportunity to improve their academic standing with remedial
instruction and GED preparation. The Adolescent Skills Centers also
help students acquire job skills with vocational training and
internships - all to support their efforts for a productive and
healthier re-entry into the community.
Families
The MHA-NYC has long recognized that parents are their children's
best advocates when given the tools and knowledge to make informed
choices; and that other parents who have already succeeded in
navigating this path are the best resource to offer guidance.
Today, with Family Resource Centers and respite care services
throughout Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens, MHA-NYC is the largest
provider of support services for families with emotionally
challenged children.
Adults
The MHA-NYC's model programs for adults integrate multiple
approaches vital for recovery and life in the community, offering
individuals a full range of recovery-focused employment, housing,
education and support tailored to meet their specific needs.
Fast Track to Employment, recognized as
a national best practice model by the President's Committee on
Employment of People with Disabilities, helps individuals with
psychiatric disabilities to obtain and keep permanent, competitive
employment.
The Harlem Bay Clubhouse offers adults with
serious mental illness a safe place to develop independent living
skills.
MHA-NYC's array of residential services, Recovery Works provides critical first
steps to those returning to independent life with a stable place to
live. Transitional and supported housing programs offer independent
housing to men, women, couples and parents who are in recovery from
mental illness or with a dual diagnosis of mental illness and
chemical addiction.
LifeNet
Over 10,000 callers per month utilize LifeNet, New York City's only
toll-free, multilingual, multi-cultural, confidential referral
hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week for anyone
seeking help for mental health and/or substance abuse treatment.
LifeNet is staffed exclusively by trained mental health
professionals and maintains the city's largest computerized
database and website offering resources and referrals to mental
health, substance abuse and social service providers.
Lifenet manages nine different hotline access numbers including
separate, culturally competent hotlines for Asian and Latino
callers: 1-877-AYUDESE serves those speaking Spanish and Asian
LifeNet (1-877-990-8585) serves those speaking Mandarin or
Cantonese. For all other languages, LifeNet utilizes an efficient
translation service that can accommodate over 140 different
dialects. 1-800-LIFENET / www.800lifenet.org
Staying in Balance: Coping in an Uncertain
Economy
MHA-NYC's groundbreaking new program
promotes mental wellness during the economic crisis.
Staying In Balance: Coping in an Uncertain Economy helps
eight organizations that provide basic human services to New
Yorkers most hurt by the current economic crisis deal with their
clients' emotional distress. Supported by a grant from The New York
Community Trust, MHA-NYC produced a Staying in Balance
toolkit and is offering expert training to the agencies' staffs.
The program will also help the staffs to manage the stresses
that come with helping individuals and families in crisis.
Community Education
MHA-NYC is committed to educating the public about mental
wellness, encouraging those in need to seek help, providing
information on treatment options. Our messages of wellness reach
those burdened by stress and encourage early detection and
intervention. MHA-NYC's outreach programs target underserved
populations, raising awareness and understanding of mental illness,
and enabling those in need to seek treatment. MHA-NYC offers
community screening programs and referral assistance.
Older adults have higher rates of depression than the general
population. To address this problem, MHA-NYC partners with New York
City's Departments for the Aging, and Health and Mental Hygiene to
provide depression education and screening programs at senior
centers throughout the city.
MHA-NYC's Geriatric Depression Screening and Referral initiative
has received the Aging Innovations Award from the National
Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and the Innovation and
Quality in Healthcare and Aging 2008 Award from the America Society
on Aging.