Fellowship Place Inc.

Results: Our agency is proud to provide this summary of FY22 program successes: • The Fellowship Inn is a daytime drop-in program for homeless people staying in local homeless shelters, encampments, or other situations not meant for habitation. Open 7 days a week, sheltered & unsheltered homeless are given a safe place to congregate during the day, where services focus on meeting basic needs, including access to free meals, shower and laundry facilities, Caseworkers provide assistance with securing personal identification documents necessary to apply for housing, employment, & government entitlements, such as Social Security Disability & Medicaid. Staff also make referrals to primary health, mental health care, and employment programs. In FY22, staff provided support services for 214 homeless adults, 88% of which maintained or improved their social supports. 36 were found housing through efforts such as the Coordinated Access Network, Section 8, and the VA. • Fellowship Place's Social Rehab Center offers a variety of activities in a safe space to help individuals with chronic mental illness find meaningful ways to structure their day, learn & practice new skills, and connect with others facing similar challenges. The Center is open 365 days a year, including holidays & weekends. Daily offerings include therapeutic groups, physical recreation, expressive arts therapy, and free meals. Special services are also available for young adults & monolingual Hispanic individuals. In FY22, the Center served 364 unduplicated individuals, 66% served maintained or improved their social supports. • The Permanent Supported Housing Program provides deeply affordable housing with support services for individuals with a history of chronic homelessness and/or a psychiatric disability, in 4 apartment buildings owned & operated by the agency. Staff provides individualized services to help residents succeed in housing, stay connected to primary and behavioral health care, and find positive ways to structure their day. A significant number of residents are over age 55 with focus on “aging in place.” Residents pay only 30% of their monthly income for rent. There is no charge for support services. In FY22, staff provided 2050 hours of counseling & case management for 45 tenants, a majority of which was homeless prior to moving to Fellowship Place. • The Career Development Office provides prevocational & vocational services to help people with chronic mental illness develop the skills & confidence required to find and keep a job in the competitive marketplace. Services include resume writing workshops, job training, mock interviews, individualized assistance with job searches, and job placement. In FY22, staff served 172 unduplicated adults. 61% of unemployed adults in the program served obtained competitive employment (of which 74% maintained their employment for at least 90 days).

Target demographics: Serving adults living with chronic mental illness. The majority served suffers from schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder. Common struggles among them include poverty, inadequate housing, unemployment, and poor physical health. Traditional psychiatric care & medication alone cannot help persons with serious mental illness stay off the streets, get a job, maintain their housing, or go back to school. Fellowship Place’s holistic services complement & enhance traditional psychiatric care provided in hospital & clinic settings, by focusing on employment, education, housing, & social integration. Programming provided on our campus is designed to help increase our clients’ stability & self-sufficiency, help them build on their life-skills, and improve their overall level of functioning.

Direct beneficiaries per year: 800

Geographic areas served: The Greater New Haven Area

Programs: At Fellowship Place, our Board and staff share a vision of a world that demonstrates acceptance & integration of people with mental illness in our community, that understands that with proper treatment and a wide range of support services people with mental illness can minimize the impact it has on their lives, maintain their independence and be productive contributors to society. On a campus setting in downtown New Haven CT, open 365 days a year, Fellowship Place provides a safe environment where people with mental illness may find productive ways to structure their day and connect with others who face similar life challenges. Here they find acceptance and unlimited opportunities to learn, work, and play. Our campus is a multi-purpose, one stop center where they receive counseling & case management services to help them learn, practice and refine social skills and other daily living skills that will help them increase their level of independent living. Services offered are designed to help improve their stability & self-sufficiency, minimize the impact their illness has on their lives, and maintain their independence, including: • Basic life-skills & coping skills training • Supportive Housing services • Job training & Employment Services • Education training & literacy improvement • Help with basic needs, including food insecurity & poor nutrition • A Homeless Daytime Drop-in Center • Social & recreational activities • Help building positive relationships • Linkages to other community services • Health & wellness programs to improve overall physical & mental wellness • Expressive Arts & Cultural programs • Also offered are therapeutic groups, including Managing Difficult Emotions, Self Esteem, Healthy Relationships, Hearing Voices and Dealing with Grief The agency serves over 800 adults annually who are living with a serious mental illness. The majority served suffers from schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder. In addition to the challenges faced in managing their illness, nearly all face poverty and struggle with unemployment, inadequate housing, the risk of homelessness, and poor physical health.