Westchester’s Kinship Unit helps grandparents, relatives, or non-biological parents raising children navigate civil legal issues. These include, but are not limited to custody, guardianship, housing, consumer debt, public benefits, education, and advance planning. Assisting Kinship Families with civil legal issues ensures stability for children being raised by non-biological parents.

Westchester’s Kinship Unit helps grandparents, relatives, or non-biological parents raising children navigate civil legal issues. These include, but are not limited to custody, guardianship, housing, consumer debt, public benefits, education, and advance planning. Assisting Kinship Families with civil legal issues ensures stability for children being raised by non-biological parents.

Provides a service, in collaboration with 2 other agencies (My Sisters' Place and Westchester Hispanic Coalition) to offer free legal services for poverty level residents or those who are victims of domestic violence for consumer disputes, housing, education, benefits, domestic violence, orders of protection, custody, child support, family law, including citizenship applications, work authorizations or other immigration issues.

Provides information and referrals about food stamps, nutrition, eviction, housing, employment resources, health awareness, etc. Also offers assistance to seniors who need help understanding benefits, medical bills, housing issues, applications, etc.

Offers mental health peer support, benefits, information and referrals.

Offers peer advocates to assist individuals with mental illness or developmental disabilities, to establish goals, and increase their independence. Peer counseling includes vocational assistance, budgeting, self-advocacy, interpersonal and independent skills training. Also provides benefits advisement, to help in navigating public assistance and Social Security, along with assistance with the Medicaid Buy-in program, teaching consumers to fill out forms, or helping them to understand work incentive programs.

Guides customers through various utility assistance programs to help maintain service, manage energy expenses and make informed decisions. Services are free and confidential. Please call us at 631-755-3407 for assistance in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Monday-Friday from 8:30AM-4PM. Customers may also email us at [email protected] to determine eligibility for a variety of assistance programs. Provides the services of a consumer advocate to individuals applying for various social assistance programs. All services are confidential.

Offers a variety of programs for children, teenagers, adults, and seniors, such as reading club, story hour, and other programs that encourage reading and and expand their knowledge for the arts and culture, including a one-to-one tutoring for individuals preparing for their GED. Also provides support services to seniors explaining benefits and other questions on government entitlements.

Assist families needing services and with identifying resources in the community and accessing these services, such as applying for Medicaid, coordinating referral materials for eligibility, family advocacy with school districts, assistance with obtaining guardianship and accessing other needed support.

Will offer referrals to needed services in the community, help with claims against employers who discriminate and/or do not pay, help file police reports if they are robbed or assaulted, etc.

Offers peer support, benefits advisement and linkages to community resources for individuals with mental illness.

Senior Benefits Information Centers (SBICs) help adults 60 and older, and those caring for the elderly, achieve a better understanding of Medicare health plans and prescription drug coverage (Part D prescription drug coverage, Medicare Advantage, Medic-Gap). Information and counseling is provided about different types of government programs, including federal and state financial assistance programs, and county-wide benefits. You can meet one-on-one with a trained counselor at one of our library-based locations. Spanish interpreter can be made available by appointment.

Helps seniors understand paperwork or issues regarding benefits and health or medical information. Also provides resources in the community for specific needs.

Offers advocacy to individuals and families with benefits applications, rent or eviction issues, find resources or services and refers people to appropriate agencies for the specific need.

Provides coordinators to assist and support families to understand the current system of services and benefits, and how to navigate them, also links families to medical and rehabilitation services in the community. Also educates families, individuals, and care providers on brain injury and its impact, connects families and individuals to other support groups, and offers support and advocacy for families dealing with the school system.

The Older Americans Act authorizes Benefits Counseling services to assist older individuals, their family members and/or caregivers in understanding their rights, applying for benefits and receiving appropriate referrals, exercising choice , benefiting from services and opportunities authorized by law, and maintaining the rights of older persons, especially those with reduced capacity, in solving disputes.

Offers assistance to those living within parish boundaries with food from the food pantry, advocacy, referrals and information for services such as utilities, Department of Social Services, healthcare, transportation, tax information, government services and senior advocacy.

Offers assistance through people who have received mental health services and act as peer advocates to those currently receiving or seeking services. Services include guidance and assistance in applying for SSI, food stamps, supported housing or Section 8.

Senior Benefits Information Centers (SBICs) help adults 60 and older, and those caring for the elderly, achieve a better understanding of Medicare health plans and prescription drug coverage (Part D prescription drug coverage, Medicare Advantage, Medic-Gap). Information and counseling is provided about different types of government programs, including federal and state financial assistance programs, and county-wide benefits. You can meet one-on-one with a trained counselor at one of our library-based locations. Spanish interpreter can be made available by appointment.

Provides mobile services to low and moderate income residents, residing in Northeast Dutchess, and helps them deal with one-time crisis or ongoing issues. Services include food and health services, medical prescriptions, heating assistance, emergency financial aid and more.

Assists individuals with disabilities gain access to benefit applications and resources, along with advocating for rights and other employment-related concerns.

Offers a range of vocational rehabilitation services that assist clients with mental illness to select, obtain, and maintain preferred competitive employment positions in the community. Programs include: - Supported Employment: Assistance with selecting, obtaining, and maintaining a competitive job with on-the-job and off-the-job support. - Rapid Employment/Job Placement: Assistance with finding a competitive job in the community. - Ticket to Work (TTW): Very flexible employment services designed to meet individual employment needs. Allows clients to choose from a range of services listed in other programs. Typically individuals in the Ticket to Work program have a work history and desire to work approximately 25+ hours/week with the goal to eventually be off of entitlement benefits (SSI/SSDI). - Peer Specialist Program at Leroy Manor: Designed to provide outreach and peer support to individuals with mental health conditions in a residential setting. Other services include Job Search, Placement, and Support, Resume and Cover Letter Development, Interview Preparation and Practice, Skills Development, Work Readiness Classes, and Benefits Advisement. Also provides Peer Bridger support services for individuals who are coming out of Rochester Psychiatric Center or other Article 28 hospitals as well as individuals diagnosed with a mental health condition that are residing in the community. These services help individuals link to and engage with needed resources/supports. Peer Bridger services are unique in that they are one-on-one services meeting with a peer support professional to work on goal setting, budgeting, accessing community supports, and other services/information. ##REENTRY##

Provides behavior management, counseling, crisis intervention, family reimbursement, guardianship assistance, benefits and entitlements assistance, home modification, independent living skills, information and referral, parenting skills for parents of developmentally disabled children (in or out of home), service coordination/case management, support groups, and transitional planning for persons with developmental disabilities of all ages. Developmentally disabled parent training is provided to first time parents with a developmental disability. Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Program available for parents of children with autism.

Provides free civil legal services for individuals who are HIV positive or who have an HIV positive family member, including but not limited to: end of life planning, care and custody planning, unemployment, social security, public benefits, child support, custody, visitation, family offenses, divorce, discrimination, bankruptcy, housing problems, and name change.