C Magazine #1

2 Washington Street, 9th Floor New York, NY 10004

Transforming Lives – How You Can Make a Difference.

SEE OUR COMMUNITY International Mental Health Awareness Month

CELEBRATE

LEARN

HONOR

BUILD

HOMECOMING EVENT

VISIT OUR PROGRAMS

HOWIE THE HARP GRADUATION

FACEBOOK “LIKE”-A-THON

Keynote Speaker: Jody Silver, Director of Consumer Affairs, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

For every new “like,” our sponsor will donate $5 to Community Access. Build our friendship circle and raise money with the click of a button: www.facebook. com/communityaccess

October 27th

October 1st - 31st

• Meet our Board • Art Exhibit and Sales • CA welcomes our marathon team

October 4th

• Building Tours • Pet Access presentation • East Village Access • Art Collective

October 17th

For event and RSVP details, visit www.communityaccess.org

Rut h Pas i llas -Gonz ales carri es for t h t h e legacy of Howie the Harp

CEO’S LETTER

MEMBERSHIP and new neighbors

Agents of Change Not long ago, if you were diagnosed with a mental illness the message from the “healing” community was loud and clear: You are disabled and will never have a meaningful career.

Government-sponsored employment training programs reinforced this message by routinely funneling people with a psychiatric diagnosis into janitorial jobs and fast food outlets.

At Community Access our philosophy has always been different. At our first housing program 30 years ago, we involved tenants in jobs that put their skills and interests into practice. As our organization grew, we sought ways to build on this and help mental health consumers pursue careers that make a difference.

In 1993, Howard Geld, our new Director of Advocacy, introduced the concept of “peer specialist.” Better known by his nom de guerre, Howie the Harp, Howie was an expatient who had created one of the country’s first peer-run programs, and was a national advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. It was Howie’s vision to create a training center to prepare peers for career-track jobs in the mental health field. Within a year, we had secured funding, renovated a small storefront, developed curricula, and recruited students. Tragically, Howie died in 1995, two weeks before the first class began. His memory has been preserved by naming the program the Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy and Training Center.

people most affected “byThe the problem are always the ones most effective in solving it.

”

-Howard “Howie the Harp” Geld (1952 to 1995)

Sixteen years after opening, with over 800 graduates working in hospitals, human service agencies, and criminal justice facilities, our Howie the Harp Center is at the forefront of a national movement. Almost half the states in the U.S. have adopted standards for “peer specialists,” and national managed care companies, which coordinate health care for millions of mental health consumers, have all embraced the concept of hiring peers as a critical component in providing quality care.

New York State will convert to a full Medicaid managed care system in 2013, creating a demand for hundreds of new peer positions. Expanding high quality training—in essence, replicating our HTH model to prepare more peers for the workforce—is a key initiative we are now pursuing.

Through partnerships with managed care companies, government, academic partners, and colleague agencies around the nation, we are working hard to ensure that people with psychiatric disabilities will have an opportunity for careers that value the unique perspectives only peers can provide.

-Steve Coe, Chief Executive Officer

Watch our new film “Lives Made Possible” online at www.communityaccess.org

C Magazine Publisher: Steve Coe, Chief Executive Officer John Williams, Director of Development and Communications • Jon Curtis, Communications Specialist • Jennifer Jacobs, Graphic Designer Community Access, Inc. • 2 Washington Street, 9th Floor • New York, NY 10004 • Email: news@communityaccess.org • © 2011 Community Access

and soon after that I had the chance to attend a housing tour.

I was very impressed with the buildings and all the people that I met. Everyone was so open and welcoming.”

Such was her drive and enthusiasm to be a part of our cause, that Barbara was invited to become a Community Access board member too. Like David before her, she was only too happy to accept the challenge to help our organization make a difference in the community. “After all,” she concludes, “What family has not been affected by mental health issues?

There can be a lot of stigma around the subject—and it can be the last type of cause to get attention—but the more you learn about how Community Access transforms so many people’s lives, the more you want to play a role in that. No matter where we are from, and regardless of our economic status, we are all connected to each other. How we choose to help strengthen these connections is what matters most.”

Cooper Square Realty makes a charitable donation to Community Access in honor of each new homeowner who purchases through one of its managed properties.

“

What family has not been affected by mental health issues? No matter where we are from, and regardless of our economic status, we are all connected to each other. How we choose to help strengthen these connections is what matters.

”

–Barbara Malatesta

Joining our cause has its rewards.

Most importantly: transforming people’s lives.

Annual memberships start at $50, and include a free “thank you” gift from Community Access.

www.communityaccess.org/membership

BE A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY The Art Collective A Program of Community Access

Handcrafted books and journals by our art program participants.

Great for holiday gifts!

CATALOG REQUEST:

www.communityaccess.org/artcollective Every purchase provides income for our artists and support for training and supplies

CARING NEIGHBORS

BE AN ADVOCATE

Cooper Square Realty

Opening doors to affordable housing

“

I was fortunate to become a part of Community Access at a point in my life when I was actively seeking ways to give back, and I’ve been involved ever since.

–David Kuperberg

”

from Cooper Square Realty. It was a letter from David Kuperberg—introducing her to Community Access.

Now a longstanding board member of Community Access, David Kuperberg first began his affiliation with our cause back in 1987, shortly after he had founded Cooper Square Realty. “A lot of people,” David reflects, “don’t immediately think about real estate management as an industry remotely related to affordable and supportive housing. But I was fortunate to become a part of Community Access at a point in my life when I was actively seeking ways to give back, and I’ve been involved ever since.”

Almost 25 years later, David’s commitment to Community Access and its mission is as resolute as ever.

He has volunteered countless hours to help us offer more housing, education, wellness and recovery programs for low-income New Yorkers with mental illness coming off the streets and out of shelters. As he explains, “giving people the tools to succeed is a powerful motivation, and it’s always gratifying to see the organization expand its reach. I’m proud to be involved—both through Cooper Square Realty and as the Chair of Community Access’ annual Good Neighbor Gala.” Moreover, as an active ambassador for Community Access, he is always on the lookout for new friends and neighbors.

When Barbara Malatesta, for example, first moved into a new apartment in New York City, she had something unexpected waiting for her in the “Welcome Home” packet

Says Barbara, “Having just relocated to the city, I was looking for ways to become involved in the community, and I was pleased to read this letter about a local nonprofit that is helping people find their place in the world.” Following David’s invitation to learn more about Community Access, Barbara started to delve deeper. “His letter shared some great ways that people can help make a difference,” she continues, “and after reading it I wanted to learn more. I joined the Community Access mailing list,

BE AN ADVOCATE

3

FOR COMMUNITY ACCESS.

THINGS YOU C A N D O TO H ELP TRANSFORM LIVES.

Nearly 2,000 participants count on Community Access every year.

Become an Advocate for CA, and help us make a difference in people’s lives. Set a goal to raise $50, $100, or whatever you can in support of Community Access. Then, do something fun and easy to reach your goal. We have a brand new guide online that shares 15 simple ways that you can help us transform lives. Here’s our Top 3!

1 2 3

Get Social (Media)!

If you love Community Access, your “like” really matters. For every new fan who “likes” us on Facebook, Trooper Foods will donate $5 to our cause. Raise money and awareness with the click of a button! www.facebook.com/communityaccess

Celebrate CA!

Weddings, bat and bar mitzvahs, graduations, and birthdays!

Celebrate these life events by encouraging your friends and family to make a contribution to Community Access.

Run for our Cause

If you’re running a marathon, half-marathon or any other race, use this milestone to raise funds in support of Community Access.

Check out the Advocate for CA Guide online:

www.communityaccess.org/CAAdvocate

To become an Advocate for CA, e-mail Erin Johnson at enjohnson@communityaccess.org, or call (212) 780-1400, ext. 7804. We can help you set up a personal fundraising page online, give you a toolkit of materials, and answers your questions. Let’s make a difference in the lives of people who are overcoming mental illness and homelessness.

PEERS IN THE WORKFORCE

Healing Through

Helping Others

lot of other “HowieseetheaHarp graduates I

out in the workforce. It’s a special kinship that we share, and I’m always excited by how much we’ve all accomplished.

We left the Center wellequipped to work, and now we enjoy the many benefits of that.

”

Ruth Pasillas-Gonzales carries forth the legacy of Howie the Harp For Ruth Pasillas-Gonzales, born and raised in rural California, encountering Community Access for the first time in 2005 truly was a life-changing moment. And it needed to be. “Moving 3,000 miles to New York City,” Ruth reflects, “had left me very raw and vulnerable and day-in, day-out, I was suffering from serious depression.” Things even got so bad for Ruth that homelessness started to seem all too real of a possibility.

Until, that is, she discovered our Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy and Training Center, a cutting-edge program that readies mental health consumers for careers in health and human services. “My life drastically changed,” says Ruth, “as soon as I started my Howie the Harp classes. At last, I was at a place where I could move beyond my symptoms and hopelessness.”

“At Howie the Harp,” Ruth continues, “I felt unconditional acceptance of who I was—and yet at the same time we were encouraged to strive for a high degree of professionalism. The program was both nurturing and extremely comprehensive, with instructors who were all very knowledgeable and patient.”

Extraordinary results quickly followed, with Ruth developing workforce-ready skills while continuing to feel an ever-greater sense of personal well-being. “My heart healed, my capabilities

t Howie the Harp, I “learned how to use my own A

unique life experiences to be a peer specialist… and now in my job with NYAPRS I get to teach folks that people can and do recover.

”

grew, and I learned how to use my own unique life experiences to be a peer specialist.”

Ruth graduated in 2006 and has continued to flourish ever since. Today, she is Assistant Director of the NYAPRS (New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services) Collective, a role in which she trains hundreds

of mental health providers statewide every month. “It’s hands-on and busy work,” Ruth explains, “from arranging outreach, to creating curricula, to collaborating with coworkers and outside agencies.”

Now certified as an Advanced Level WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Planning) Facilitator, Ruth provides trainings and technical assistance on recovery-orientated skills for multidisciplinary teams, often including other peer specialists. “It’s incredibly rewarding,” says Ruth, “I get to teach folks the good news that people can and do recover – can, like me, go on to do more in life than just be a good patient.”

“A lot of people have never seen another person with mental illness do anything besides take a pill and be in a program, so it feels pretty good when I can help be that beacon of light that proves otherwise.” Even better, Ruth adds, “I get to see a lot of other Howie the Harp graduates out in the workforce, too. It’s a special kinship that we share, and I’m always excited by how much we’ve all accomplished. We left Howie the Harp well-equipped to work, and now we get to enjoy the many benefits of that.”

Howie the Harp initiatives are largely funded by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the New York State Office of Mental Health, the New York State Education Department Access-VR, Robin Hood Foundation, Oak Foundation, van Ameringen Foundation, and the Order of Malta, American Association.

HOWIE THE HARP: MEASURING SUCCESS

The Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy and Training Center is the leading job training and placement program for people with mental illness. *Here are just some of the many reasons why: Comprehensive training program, comprising six months of classroom instruction and a three- to six-month supported internship, makes the Center the most thorough curriculum-based course of study in the United States.

800

Over graduates have prepared for careers in hospitals, criminal justice facilities and human service agencies.

60% of graduates in full-time jobs have

earnings of at least $35,000 annually (compared to 95% of incoming participants living below the poverty threshold).

25% of graduates have gone on to earn

associate and bachelor degrees or higher (compared to less than 5% of incoming participants who have college credits).

20%

Over of graduates have gone on to earn CASAC (Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor) and CPRP (Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner) professional certifications. * Community Access “HTH Graduate Longitudinal Impact: 1995 to 2009” – preliminary results from 2011 survey currently underway.

PEERS IN THE WORKFORCE

Healing Through

Helping Others

lot of other “HowieseetheaHarp graduates I

out in the workforce. It’s a special kinship that we share, and I’m always excited by how much we’ve all accomplished.

We left the Center wellequipped to work, and now we enjoy the many benefits of that.

”

Ruth Pasillas-Gonzales carries forth the legacy of Howie the Harp For Ruth Pasillas-Gonzales, born and raised in rural California, encountering Community Access for the first time in 2005 truly was a life-changing moment. And it needed to be. “Moving 3,000 miles to New York City,” Ruth reflects, “had left me very raw and vulnerable and day-in, day-out, I was suffering from serious depression.” Things even got so bad for Ruth that homelessness started to seem all too real of a possibility.

Until, that is, she discovered our Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy and Training Center, a cutting-edge program that readies mental health consumers for careers in health and human services. “My life drastically changed,” says Ruth, “as soon as I started my Howie the Harp classes. At last, I was at a place where I could move beyond my symptoms and hopelessness.”

“At Howie the Harp,” Ruth continues, “I felt unconditional acceptance of who I was—and yet at the same time we were encouraged to strive for a high degree of professionalism. The program was both nurturing and extremely comprehensive, with instructors who were all very knowledgeable and patient.”

Extraordinary results quickly followed, with Ruth developing workforce-ready skills while continuing to feel an ever-greater sense of personal well-being. “My heart healed, my capabilities

t Howie the Harp, I “learned how to use my own A

unique life experiences to be a peer specialist… and now in my job with NYAPRS I get to teach folks that people can and do recover.

”

grew, and I learned how to use my own unique life experiences to be a peer specialist.”

Ruth graduated in 2006 and has continued to flourish ever since. Today, she is Assistant Director of the NYAPRS (New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services) Collective, a role in which she trains hundreds

of mental health providers statewide every month. “It’s hands-on and busy work,” Ruth explains, “from arranging outreach, to creating curricula, to collaborating with coworkers and outside agencies.”

Now certified as an Advanced Level WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Planning) Facilitator, Ruth provides trainings and technical assistance on recovery-orientated skills for multidisciplinary teams, often including other peer specialists. “It’s incredibly rewarding,” says Ruth, “I get to teach folks the good news that people can and do recover – can, like me, go on to do more in life than just be a good patient.”

“A lot of people have never seen another person with mental illness do anything besides take a pill and be in a program, so it feels pretty good when I can help be that beacon of light that proves otherwise.” Even better, Ruth adds, “I get to see a lot of other Howie the Harp graduates out in the workforce, too. It’s a special kinship that we share, and I’m always excited by how much we’ve all accomplished. We left Howie the Harp well-equipped to work, and now we get to enjoy the many benefits of that.”

Howie the Harp initiatives are largely funded by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the New York State Office of Mental Health, the New York State Education Department Access-VR, Robin Hood Foundation, Oak Foundation, van Ameringen Foundation, and the Order of Malta, American Association.

HOWIE THE HARP: MEASURING SUCCESS

The Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy and Training Center is the leading job training and placement program for people with mental illness. *Here are just some of the many reasons why: Comprehensive training program, comprising six months of classroom instruction and a three- to six-month supported internship, makes the Center the most thorough curriculum-based course of study in the United States.

800

Over graduates have prepared for careers in hospitals, criminal justice facilities and human service agencies.

60% of graduates in full-time jobs have

earnings of at least $35,000 annually (compared to 95% of incoming participants living below the poverty threshold).

25% of graduates have gone on to earn

associate and bachelor degrees or higher (compared to less than 5% of incoming participants who have college credits).

20%

Over of graduates have gone on to earn CASAC (Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor) and CPRP (Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner) professional certifications. * Community Access “HTH Graduate Longitudinal Impact: 1995 to 2009” – preliminary results from 2011 survey currently underway.

CARING NEIGHBORS

BE AN ADVOCATE

Cooper Square Realty

Opening doors to affordable housing

“

I was fortunate to become a part of Community Access at a point in my life when I was actively seeking ways to give back, and I’ve been involved ever since.

–David Kuperberg

”

from Cooper Square Realty. It was a letter from David Kuperberg—introducing her to Community Access.

Now a longstanding board member of Community Access, David Kuperberg first began his affiliation with our cause back in 1987, shortly after he had founded Cooper Square Realty. “A lot of people,” David reflects, “don’t immediately think about real estate management as an industry remotely related to affordable and supportive housing. But I was fortunate to become a part of Community Access at a point in my life when I was actively seeking ways to give back, and I’ve been involved ever since.”

Almost 25 years later, David’s commitment to Community Access and its mission is as resolute as ever.

He has volunteered countless hours to help us offer more housing, education, wellness and recovery programs for low-income New Yorkers with mental illness coming off the streets and out of shelters. As he explains, “giving people the tools to succeed is a powerful motivation, and it’s always gratifying to see the organization expand its reach. I’m proud to be involved—both through Cooper Square Realty and as the Chair of Community Access’ annual Good Neighbor Gala.” Moreover, as an active ambassador for Community Access, he is always on the lookout for new friends and neighbors.

When Barbara Malatesta, for example, first moved into a new apartment in New York City, she had something unexpected waiting for her in the “Welcome Home” packet

Says Barbara, “Having just relocated to the city, I was looking for ways to become involved in the community, and I was pleased to read this letter about a local nonprofit that is helping people find their place in the world.” Following David’s invitation to learn more about Community Access, Barbara started to delve deeper. “His letter shared some great ways that people can help make a difference,” she continues, “and after reading it I wanted to learn more. I joined the Community Access mailing list,

BE AN ADVOCATE

3

FOR COMMUNITY ACCESS.

THINGS YOU C A N D O TO H ELP TRANSFORM LIVES.

Nearly 2,000 participants count on Community Access every year.

Become an Advocate for CA, and help us make a difference in people’s lives. Set a goal to raise $50, $100, or whatever you can in support of Community Access. Then, do something fun and easy to reach your goal. We have a brand new guide online that shares 15 simple ways that you can help us transform lives. Here’s our Top 3!

1 2 3

Get Social (Media)!

If you love Community Access, your “like” really matters. For every new fan who “likes” us on Facebook, Trooper Foods will donate $5 to our cause. Raise money and awareness with the click of a button! www.facebook.com/communityaccess

Celebrate CA!

Weddings, bat and bar mitzvahs, graduations, and birthdays!

Celebrate these life events by encouraging your friends and family to make a contribution to Community Access.

Run for our Cause

If you’re running a marathon, half-marathon or any other race, use this milestone to raise funds in support of Community Access.

Check out the Advocate for CA Guide online:

www.communityaccess.org/CAAdvocate

To become an Advocate for CA, e-mail Erin Johnson at enjohnson@communityaccess.org, or call (212) 780-1400, ext. 7804. We can help you set up a personal fundraising page online, give you a toolkit of materials, and answers your questions. Let’s make a difference in the lives of people who are overcoming mental illness and homelessness.

CEO’S LETTER

MEMBERSHIP and new neighbors

Agents of Change Not long ago, if you were diagnosed with a mental illness the message from the “healing” community was loud and clear: You are disabled and will never have a meaningful career.

Government-sponsored employment training programs reinforced this message by routinely funneling people with a psychiatric diagnosis into janitorial jobs and fast food outlets.

At Community Access our philosophy has always been different. At our first housing program 30 years ago, we involved tenants in jobs that put their skills and interests into practice. As our organization grew, we sought ways to build on this and help mental health consumers pursue careers that make a difference.

In 1993, Howard Geld, our new Director of Advocacy, introduced the concept of “peer specialist.” Better known by his nom de guerre, Howie the Harp, Howie was an expatient who had created one of the country’s first peer-run programs, and was a national advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. It was Howie’s vision to create a training center to prepare peers for career-track jobs in the mental health field. Within a year, we had secured funding, renovated a small storefront, developed curricula, and recruited students. Tragically, Howie died in 1995, two weeks before the first class began. His memory has been preserved by naming the program the Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy and Training Center.

people most affected “byThe the problem are always the ones most effective in solving it.

”

-Howard “Howie the Harp” Geld (1952 to 1995)

Sixteen years after opening, with over 800 graduates working in hospitals, human service agencies, and criminal justice facilities, our Howie the Harp Center is at the forefront of a national movement. Almost half the states in the U.S. have adopted standards for “peer specialists,” and national managed care companies, which coordinate health care for millions of mental health consumers, have all embraced the concept of hiring peers as a critical component in providing quality care.

New York State will convert to a full Medicaid managed care system in 2013, creating a demand for hundreds of new peer positions. Expanding high quality training—in essence, replicating our HTH model to prepare more peers for the workforce—is a key initiative we are now pursuing.

Through partnerships with managed care companies, government, academic partners, and colleague agencies around the nation, we are working hard to ensure that people with psychiatric disabilities will have an opportunity for careers that value the unique perspectives only peers can provide.

-Steve Coe, Chief Executive Officer

Watch our new film “Lives Made Possible” online at www.communityaccess.org

C Magazine Publisher: Steve Coe, Chief Executive Officer John Williams, Director of Development and Communications • Jon Curtis, Communications Specialist • Jennifer Jacobs, Graphic Designer Community Access, Inc. • 2 Washington Street, 9th Floor • New York, NY 10004 • Email: news@communityaccess.org • © 2011 Community Access

and soon after that I had the chance to attend a housing tour.

I was very impressed with the buildings and all the people that I met. Everyone was so open and welcoming.”

Such was her drive and enthusiasm to be a part of our cause, that Barbara was invited to become a Community Access board member too. Like David before her, she was only too happy to accept the challenge to help our organization make a difference in the community. “After all,” she concludes, “What family has not been affected by mental health issues?

There can be a lot of stigma around the subject—and it can be the last type of cause to get attention—but the more you learn about how Community Access transforms so many people’s lives, the more you want to play a role in that. No matter where we are from, and regardless of our economic status, we are all connected to each other. How we choose to help strengthen these connections is what matters most.”

Cooper Square Realty makes a charitable donation to Community Access in honor of each new homeowner who purchases through one of its managed properties.

“

What family has not been affected by mental health issues? No matter where we are from, and regardless of our economic status, we are all connected to each other. How we choose to help strengthen these connections is what matters.

”

–Barbara Malatesta

Joining our cause has its rewards.

Most importantly: transforming people’s lives.

Annual memberships start at $50, and include a free “thank you” gift from Community Access.

www.communityaccess.org/membership

BE A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY The Art Collective A Program of Community Access

Handcrafted books and journals by our art program participants.

Great for holiday gifts!

CATALOG REQUEST:

www.communityaccess.org/artcollective Every purchase provides income for our artists and support for training and supplies

2 Washington Street, 9th Floor New York, NY 10004

Transforming Lives – How You Can Make a Difference.

SEE OUR COMMUNITY International Mental Health Awareness Month

CELEBRATE

LEARN

HONOR

BUILD

HOMECOMING EVENT

VISIT OUR PROGRAMS

HOWIE THE HARP GRADUATION

FACEBOOK “LIKE”-A-THON

Keynote Speaker: Jody Silver, Director of Consumer Affairs, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

For every new “like,” our sponsor will donate $5 to Community Access. Build our friendship circle and raise money with the click of a button: www.facebook. com/communityaccess

October 27th

October 1st - 31st

• Meet our Board • Art Exhibit and Sales • CA welcomes our marathon team

October 4th

• Building Tours • Pet Access presentation • East Village Access • Art Collective

October 17th

For event and RSVP details, visit www.communityaccess.org

Rut h Pas i llas -Gonz ales carri es for t h t h e legacy of Howie the Harp