Unity House of Cayuga County has gained state approval - and more than $300,000 in annual funding - to expand its residential program for people with developmental disabilities.

Unity House Executive Director Joyce Williams said in a news release that the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities has approved a plan submitted in February by Unity House to house and support four women intending to integrate into the community at its Prospect Street, Auburn, expansion site.

The five year Options for People through Services contract provides more than $300,000 in annual funding for operational expenses in addition to annual reimbursements to cover the program expansion's property costs, Williams said.

The state designed Options for People through Services in 2004 to provide a wider array of options for people with developmental disabilities receiving services and to the public and non-profit providers who care for them.

In order to fulfill the requirements of the program, Unity House will be hiring additional full-time and part-time staff. The expansion increases the number of people served by Unity House's Cayuga County Independent Residential Alternative program from 26 to 30.

Unity House is beginning its 30th year of providing transitional and permanent housing, rehabilitative and employment services and programs in Cayuga, Tompkins, Seneca, Wayne, Onondaga and Ontario counties.