Independent Living Services

Independent Living offers a variety of services to people with disabilities in Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan Counties.

Benefits Advisement

Offering consultative and supportive services aimed at increasing independence for recipients of SSDI and/or SSI benefits throughout the Hudson Valley by providing information and education on available work incentives.

Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Services (OPTIONS)

For persons with disabilities, including seniors, OPTIONS offers a unique alternative to traditional attendant care at home, giving individuals the opportunity to hire and manage their own personal attendants. Available to qualified individuals in Orange, Sullivan, Ulster, Rockland and Dutchess Counties.

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Services

Providing a bridge between the Deaf and Hearing cultures in Orange, Ulster, Sullivan and Dutchess Counties, this program is actively engaged in community outreach and education, employment, advocacy, service coordination, counseling and technical support.

Education Advocacy

Provides outreach and advocacy services to families of students between the ages of 6 and 21 with developmental disabilities throughout Orange County that have historically been under served because of language and/or cultural barriers, or due to their lack of basic information about their child’s rights and their role in protecting them.

Employment Services

Contracted to conduct work-readiness assessments and job placement services for NY State Department of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR), Commission for the Blind (CB), and Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). Supported employment services and ongoing employment supports are provided. Vocational services are also available for all tenants at the Cornerstone Residence in Newburgh.

Environmental Modification Services

Directed to individuals, local municipalities, commercial property owners, employers, businesses, schools and provider agencies, these services play a vitally important role in ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Family & Student Services

An array of services are available for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, including education advocacy and transition supports for students between the ages of 6 and 21, an after-school learning enrichment program, a Community Independence Program that offers independent living skills training, and a Saturday activity/respite program.

Home Modification Consultation Services

Designed to help people with disabilities to remain at home, or return home, and live with dignity in the community setting of their choosing.

Independent Living Skills

Person Centered Planning (PCP) is an approach designed to assist individuals to plan their life and supports. Based on the philosophy that the individual being served by a process should be the primary shareholder in that process, services promote self-help, equal access, peer role modeling, personal growth and empowerment so that, consistent with the Olmstead Ruling of the US Supreme Court, people with disabilities may live in the least restrictive setting of their choice.

Mental Health Services

Aimed at helping people with psychiatric disabilities, including those at continuing risk of homelessness, to overcome stigma, connect with needed supports, build constructive relationships with peers, advocate on their own behalf, define and pursue their personal journeys to wellness, and make the transition from system dependence to independence.

Case Management Services

Offering a holistic, person-centered approach to facilitating connections with provider agencies and community amenities, and aimed at ensuring long-term residential stability, personal recovery, health and general well-being.

Forensic Connections Program

In collaboration with the Orange County Department of Mental Health and the Port Jervis City Community, this program assists individuals ages 16 and up with mental illness or co-occurring disorders who are involved in the criminal justice system.

Recovery Center Services – Onward Recovery

The Hudson Valley Recovery Community & Outreach Center serves anyone 18 and older affected by substance use. The purpose of this center is to provide intensive peer support, recovery support, vocational support, sober social activities and community connections to these individuals. Serving seven counties: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester.

Recovery Center Services – Reach One

Proactive peer engagement and services for adults with psychiatric diagnoses and/or chemical addiction in collaboration with PEOPLe, Inc. and the Mental Health Association of Rockland County. The Mid-Hudson Regional Recovery Center provides traditional peer support, educational opportunities, integrated social and recreational activities, assistance with employment and health home integration.

Self-Directed Care Services

Self-Directed Care is a person-centered program that allows for personal growth and personal choices for one’s own recovery.  Individuals in this program exercise greater control over the funding used for their care.

Transition and Diversion Services

Serving persons with psychiatric & co-occurring addictive disabilities with the goal of aiding in the prevention of hospitalization and homelessness, this program provides wrap-around support, including core independent living services. Our bridgers are on-site and on-call at local hospitals to assist individuals being discharged from the mental health units to connect with necessary supports for their continuing journey of recovery. Our diversion specialists proactively engage individuals who have been evaluated but not hospitalized, providing intensive peer intervention during periods of crisis.

Supported and Supportive Housing

Case management services and rental subsidies for permanent housing for qualified individuals with disabilities in Orange County, funded by Housing and Urban Development (HUD), NYS Office of Mental Health and Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). Services include, but are not limited to, independent living skills training; wellness coaching, peer mentoring, assistance with employment, #and connections with social and community resources.

Systems Advocacy

Independent Living is a member of the Statewide Systems Advocacy Network, a group of eighteen independent living centers throughout New York State which collaborates with other disability organizations to ensure that legislation affecting people with disabilities is introduced, passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor. For more information on our Systems Advocacy Services, please call (845) 565-1162, x246.

Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA)

A national program funded by the Social Security Administration to provide guidance to individuals with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Individuals should be interested in returning to work or already working.  Information will be provided on how working will impact benefits upon the return to work, and for many years beyond.  WIPA services are offered by Independent Living, Inc. in Orange, Dutchess, Rockland, Ulster, Putnam and Sullivan Counties.

Are your receiving SSDI or SSI benefits, currently working or thinking about returning to work? Independent Living Centers can assist you in preparing a work plan so that you can go to work. Many people who work are able to keep their benefits, and continue receiving Medicare or Medicaid.