PO Box 3516
Kingston, NY 12402
845.331.7080
Staff: 13 full-time and 1 part time (Health Home Worker)
Program Director: Victoria Read
Assistant Program Directors: Amy Colon, Rissa Przekop, Andrea Rodriguez
Service Locations:
39 John Street, Kingston
Family of New Paltz, 51 North Chestnut St., New Paltz
Family of Ellenville, 221 Canal St., Ellenville
Hudson Valley Mental Health clinics in Kingston, Ellenville and New Paltz
Program Hours: 9:00am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Program supervisory staff are available 24 hours a day through the county-wide hotline and textline.
PRIMARY FUNCTIONS: Case management services for homeless individuals and families in transition; case management services for those struggling with mental health issues and/or at
risk of or who are currently substance abusers; long term case management and housing assistance to support individuals and families who at the time of intake are homeless, have a disability and are not yet capable of self-sufficiency; care management assistance to stabilize the medical/mental health needs of individuals with 2 chronic illnesses, or who have one and are at high risk of a second; care for individuals with HIV, a Severe and Persistent Mental Illness, or a Substance Abuse disorder, who have Medicaid benefits; assistance to attain security deposits, first month rent, or rent arrears as part of a program to prevent homelessness, or to house those who are already homeless; services to those re-entering the county from state prison, county jail or offenders who have minor children; sponsorship of the Moral Reconation Therapy program, a cognitive behavioral change curriculum and the Ready, Set, Work! program, a job-readiness curriculum; and, provision of specialized case management for Hispanic and Latino individuals and individuals dealing with immigration issues.
ANCILLARY SERVICES: Crisis intervention and prevention; assistance with short and long- term housing; information and referral, and when necessary advocacy to assist individuals to access entitlements, mental health and drug/alcohol treatment, and vocational and employment assistance services; job preparedness and one on one life skills training; limited transportation assistance; individual counseling; community education and training on issues of homelessness; assistance with immigration issues; translations; and other legal services.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:
In 2019, the program was approved by the Department of Health to provide Health Home Plus services. This program mandates a more intensive level of care management services to persons suffering from SMI (Severe Mental Illness) and a minimum of four contacts per month with each client is required. Only those staff with a certain level of educational credentials and experience are permitted to work with those clients. In 2020, 17 Health Home Plus cases were opened, and another 8 were pending at the end of the year.
In 2020, the program began working with SUNY Ulster to provide services for the students enrolled in the “New Start for Women” program, a one-year program to assist low income women with families in obtaining the skills to gain employment. A case manager is located part- time (twice per week) in the SUNY offices to provide case management services to those students.
The agency continues to participate in the two major DSRIP efforts for the Hudson Valley, namely one established under the leadership of Montefiore Hospital, and the second under the leadership of Westchester Medical Center.
The program has stationed case managers in Ellenville and in New Paltz, in addition to Kingston, to better address the needs of the residents of those communities. They work out of Family’s walk-in centers and are able to provide localized service to respond to the lack of transportation available in the county.
The program also has a case manager whose work specifically addresses the needs of homeless individuals and families. He is in contact with them in motels throughout Ulster County, and assists them with accessing various entitlement programs, procuring food, obtaining medical and/or mental health treatment, and helps them work toward stabilizing their lives.
The Ulster County Re-Entry program is based in the Adult Case Management program, and provides re-entry assistance to individuals to return to our community from the New York State prison system. They were provided with the necessary supports that enable them to succeed and contribute in a productive and meaningful manner to society. The program also has a Re-entry Case Manager to work with incarcerated individuals being released from the Ulster County Jail. Program staff continue to participate in the Ulster County Family Treatment Court panel, the Kingston Drug Court panel, the Ulster County Administrative SPOA committee, the Ulster County Residential SPOA committee, and the Continuum of Care committees, regularly attending weekly or monthly meetings as panel or committee members. This enables program staff to be aware of and to address the ever-changing needs of the communities served.
The program strives to maintain Family of Woodstock’s philosophy amidst funding pressures. We believe that we are “people helping people help themselves”.