Concern for Independent Living Honored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness

ALBANY, N.Y., Dec. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Concern for Independent Living, a leading nonprofit provider of supportive housing, received the first Visionary Award by New York State's National Alliance on Mental Illness. 

In presenting the award to Ralph Fasano, Concern's Executive Director, Deborah Mayo, the First Vice President of NAMI-NYS, commented that Concern's programs "serve as an inspiration and a shining model of what can be done to address the housing crisis in New York State.  Concern is well known as a housing agency that goes the extra mile to help people move towards recovery." 

Medford, Long Island-based Concern for Independent Living, Inc. (Concern), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was founded in 1972 by a group of parents and friends of psychiatrically disabled persons in Central Islip State Hospital.  From 1972 to the present, Concern has grown from a grass roots organization to a well respected housing developer and operator.  Concern is considered a leader in the state in the provision of housing for individuals with mental illness. 

Concern has been an innovator in progressive, recovery-oriented housing since the development of its first project.  Most recently, Concern developed and opened the Rochester Avenue Apartments, bringing an innovative supportive housing development and more than a dozen new jobs to the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.

The Agency's accomplishments have included many innovations and "firsts," including:  the first client-run thrift shop in Suffolk County; the first HHAP grant on Long Island to develop 18 community residence beds; the first Supported Housing Program in Suffolk County; the first scattered site, permanent housing on Long Island using HUD 202 funds; and the first Single-Site Supportive Housing building in New York State utilizing modular construction techniques.  Since those early years, the organization has continued a strong tradition of developing and operating only the highest quality housing.  Concern has been awarded the Metropolitan Life Foundation Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing and is CARF- accredited. Additionally, Concern Riverhead was awarded the Smart Growth Award by Vision Long Island in 2010.  Concern provides individuals and families with the means to live with dignity and to become functioning members of the community.

SOURCE Concern for Independent Living