AUBURN - The supervised community residence program at Unity House of Cayuga County may soon be undergoing a transformation. The 14-bed community residence, which is part of the agency's mental health services programs, is currently located at 108 South St. in Auburn.
The lease for that building expires in 2011 and Unity House is exploring other alternatives in care for its mental health consumers, said executive director Joyce Williams. The facility is under 24-hour supervision.
Only 10 of the 14 beds are filled on a regular basis and of those, usually four people truly need the 24-hour care. The rest would often rather be in one of the different programs Unity House offers, Williams said. Typically, when someone comes to Unity House from a referral, they want to be more independent but the 14-bed facility may be the only place with an open bed.
The new proposal is based on a model of care being provided to consumers of the agency's Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities program, she said. Instead of having the 14-bed dorm-like environment, Unity House is looking to rent a house with five apartments, four for the consumers and one for the 24-hour staff. The rest of the people would be spread out to other Unity House programs, depending on their individual needs. The intent is to give consumers more independence, as well as a level of individualized care.
“I think it will have a positive impact,” Williams said. “They're happier in their living arrangements. It's very empowering for them.”
Unity House is currently working with the community and the Cayuga County Community Services Board to come up with an agreeable plan. Unity House employees met with consumers that they serve and gathered information about their wants and needs before coming up with their proposal, Williams said.
“What we're hearing from them over and over again is that they want their own home. They don't like the stigma of a large group home,” she said. “They want services provided to them when they need them and we want to create something that would be in line with their wishes and desires.”
Community Services Board Chairwoman Linda Albrecht is optimistic about the Unity House idea but said that there are still some unanswered questions.
“According to Unity House, consumers are going to be happy about this,” Albrecht said. “The implication is that they didn't want to go to the 14-bed facility. Only four of the 10 need or want that level of supervision. They (Unity House) need to be able to show that over time.”
The bottom line is that the Community Services Board is trying to look out for the consumers, she said. Albrecht is interested in seeing data indicating that some consumers would benefit from the other levels of care Unity House provides.
“We are trying to understand,” Albrecht said. “We're asking them to quantify what is essentially a subjective decision.”
Unity House is in the process of compiling the requested information. Albrecht believes that the additional information would help people who are concerned that they would be losing the level of care they are currently getting. The intent of asking for the additional data is to show that Unity House will actually be providing a more appropriate level of service, she said.
Any time there is change, it's difficult for people, Williams said. There has been some concern from consumers who think that some people will need or want the group level of care, she said. For example, some consumers would rather share a kitchen and a bathroom but still have their individual bedrooms.
“Yes, there's been opposition to what we're suggesting. Not conceptually, though, because people want their own home,” she said.
Still, Williams is confident that the proposed model is moving the level of care in the right direction and if the amount of people who need 24-hour care increases, other houses will be rented to fill that need.
“Should that not be enough, we are here to do what's in the best interest of the community. We've agreed that if we needed to add up, we certainly are committed and willing to do that without any hesitation,” she said. “It's taking the best of what we do right now and actually making it better. Nothing is written in stone. We're here to serve what community wants.”
Staff writer Gitana Mirochnik can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or gitana.mirochnik@lee.net
Only 10 of the 14 beds are filled on a regular basis and of those, usually four people truly need the 24-hour care. The rest would often rather be in one of the different programs Unity House offers, Williams said. Typically, when someone comes to Unity House from a referral, they want to be more independent but the 14-bed facility may be the only place with an open bed.
The new proposal is based on a model of care being provided to consumers of the agency's Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities program, she said. Instead of having the 14-bed dorm-like environment, Unity House is looking to rent a house with five apartments, four for the consumers and one for the 24-hour staff. The rest of the people would be spread out to other Unity House programs, depending on their individual needs. The intent is to give consumers more independence, as well as a level of individualized care.
“I think it will have a positive impact,” Williams said. “They're happier in their living arrangements. It's very empowering for them.”
Unity House is currently working with the community and the Cayuga County Community Services Board to come up with an agreeable plan. Unity House employees met with consumers that they serve and gathered information about their wants and needs before coming up with their proposal, Williams said.
“What we're hearing from them over and over again is that they want their own home. They don't like the stigma of a large group home,” she said. “They want services provided to them when they need them and we want to create something that would be in line with their wishes and desires.”
Community Services Board Chairwoman Linda Albrecht is optimistic about the Unity House idea but said that there are still some unanswered questions.
“According to Unity House, consumers are going to be happy about this,” Albrecht said. “The implication is that they didn't want to go to the 14-bed facility. Only four of the 10 need or want that level of supervision. They (Unity House) need to be able to show that over time.”
The bottom line is that the Community Services Board is trying to look out for the consumers, she said. Albrecht is interested in seeing data indicating that some consumers would benefit from the other levels of care Unity House provides.
“We are trying to understand,” Albrecht said. “We're asking them to quantify what is essentially a subjective decision.”
Unity House is in the process of compiling the requested information. Albrecht believes that the additional information would help people who are concerned that they would be losing the level of care they are currently getting. The intent of asking for the additional data is to show that Unity House will actually be providing a more appropriate level of service, she said.
Any time there is change, it's difficult for people, Williams said. There has been some concern from consumers who think that some people will need or want the group level of care, she said. For example, some consumers would rather share a kitchen and a bathroom but still have their individual bedrooms.
“Yes, there's been opposition to what we're suggesting. Not conceptually, though, because people want their own home,” she said.
Still, Williams is confident that the proposed model is moving the level of care in the right direction and if the amount of people who need 24-hour care increases, other houses will be rented to fill that need.
“Should that not be enough, we are here to do what's in the best interest of the community. We've agreed that if we needed to add up, we certainly are committed and willing to do that without any hesitation,” she said. “It's taking the best of what we do right now and actually making it better. Nothing is written in stone. We're here to serve what community wants.”
Staff writer Gitana Mirochnik can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or gitana.mirochnik@lee.net
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