Apartment Cluster

Mental Health Division ‘Invents’ Cluster

The Mental Health Division at FREE has created a Cluster of 8 apartments in one site in Babylon to better serve individuals with multiple needs. Working with the NYS Office of Mental Health, FREE gained approval to acquire 8 2-bedroom apartments in one garden apartment complex. Fifteen consumers will live in the cluster, which will also have a staff office that will permit FREE to provide staff support for 16 hours per day to the residents. This is much more attention than is normally feasible in scattered site apartments.

"The advantages of this approach are many," stated Anita Dowd-Neufeld, Associate Director. "In the cluster, our staff can be present in the morning to assist with medications and making sure that residents get a good start on the day. More staff are available at mealtime and later to be sure that medication regimes are followed."

The Cluster has allowed FREE to move several people who have dual diagnoses of a mental illness and a developmental disability to move from a supervised residence to a more independent setting. "The goal of our division is to help people live as independently as possible, " continued Dowd-Neufeld. "To see individuals who have been in group homes for many years move to a supportive but more independent setting is very satisfying."

The Office of Mental Health was supportive because this innovation frees up much needed beds in our specialized group homes for people with dual diagnoses who are backlogged in hospitals.