THE NEW YCS ALLIANCE OF SERVICES OFFERS HOPE TO FAMILIES SEEKING TO BRING OFFSPRING CLOSER TO HOME
On August 31, 2012? two New Jersey based, private, non-profit social service agencies officially joined forces to provide residential, employment services, volunteer opportunities and recreation programs for young adults with developmental disabilities.? The YCS Alliance of Services, a partnership of Our House, Inc. and Youth Consultation Service (YCS), will now work together to provide a continuum of services and residential services for young adults with developmental disabilities and challenging behaviors.?
With combined annual operating revenue of approximately $82 million, Our House and YCS will serve about 4,000 children teens and adults in more than 100 residential, educational, in-home and community based programs in 12 counties across the Garden State with a staff of over 1200 full-time and 500 part-time employees.?
Last year, YCS approached Our House because of their exemplary life-long adults services provided to people with developmental disabilities. ?We knew of YCS? outstanding reputation for helping children with challenging behaviors in their therapeutic residences and welcomed the chance to continue serving them as young adults in Our House homes,? said Michele Wernsing, executive director of Our House, she added, ?The variety of programs that both agencies can provide will offer greater opportunities to all the residents as they enter adulthood. Our House is excited about the opportunity to improve the lives of New Jersey?s most vulnerable citizens.?
Our House opened its first group home for individuals with developmental disabilities in 1980 in Summit, NJ.? With the success of this program and others, Our House now operates 27 homes in four counties. Residents are integrated into their communities and are given training, employment and volunteer opportunities commensurate with their abilities.
For more than 90 years YCS has been providing intensive therapeutic care to children and teens. In 2010, YCS began working with the NJ Department of Human Services-Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) to provide residential and in-home care to children, teens and now young adults with similar challenges as well as cognitive limitations.
By forming the Alliance, Our House and YCS will now be able to expand their services.
The YCS Alliance of Services? first project is a group home that will open in late September in West Orange for four young adults between the ages of 21 and 25. A second group home is scheduled to open later in the fall, in Bridgewater for young adults.?
In conjunction with providing housing, the Alliance is working closely with the DDD, ?Returning Home New Jersey? initiative which aims to respond to requests from families to have their loved ones closer to home and provide community-based, homelike settings for adults, some of whom have lived in institutional settings for many years. This new Alliance will now provide that special piece of care families have long needed.?
This Alliance also gives YCS the opportunity to make sure that the young adults who graduate from its programs have a place to go.? ?By forming an alliance with Our House, we can be confident that the children aging out of our programs will transition more smoothly and receive the best continuum of care.? according to YCS President & CEO Richard Mingoia.?
YCS will assume responsibility for training all direct care staff in the Alliance and will continue to operate its residential facilities.? Our House will be responsible for providing residents with training, employment and volunteer opportunities as well as develop housing and continue to operate its residential facility. Mingoia noted that the Alliance will be including other social services providers who share its mission in the future.??
About Our House
Founded in 1980, Our House, Inc. is a private, non-profit 501(c) 3 organization that provides residential, employment and recreational services to individuals with developmental disabilities. The first residence opened in 1980 in Summit, NJ and the program has steadily grown to 25 residences throughout Union, Essex, Somerset and Morris Counties. The mission of Our House, Inc. is to provide healthy and stimulating environments for people with developmental and other disabilities, through the provision of community residences, employment opportunities, social programs and other supports designed to help them achieve their full potential for living meaningful and productive lives; and to provide affordable housing for low income individuals, consistent with IRS guidelines for low income housing programs, as a means of relieving the poor and distressed.? For more information, visit www.ourhousenj.org
About YCS
Youth Consultation Service, better known as YCS, is one of New Jersey?s leading private, non-profit behavioral health and social services agencies. YCS is committed to advocating, educating, sheltering, and caring for the state?s most vulnerable children and families. Founded in 1918, YCS currently gives hope each month to more than 2,000 children, age?s birth ? 25, in its therapeutic group homes, foster care program, special education schools, autism learning centers and community-based services. In 2010, YCS Sawtelle began providing in-home and residential care for children, teens and young adults with developmental disabilities and co-occurring challenging behaviors.? YCS operates seven Sawtelle Homes and an emergency diagnostic placement residence across the state.? For more information, visit www.ycs.org
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