I coach clients on how to prevent reentry. The key to success is in meeting people where they are and helping them proceed from there. People are afraid. They have never had anyone knock on the door, encourage them to make a change, and stick around to support them through those changes-which are overwhelming. I have been where they are and I have been through what they are facing, so they trust me. I find creative solutions for each person and my supervisors support me. This flexibility allows me to tailor my support to each client and really meet their needs. ACMH does not have a one size fits all approach. I do everything I possibly can to help clients stay out of jail and help them become productive members of society. And to do that, I have to be flexible because everyone has a different set of needs.

Working in this role is very fulfilling, it is actually therapy for myself. It gives me a chance to give back. It keeps me grounded and reminds me that there go I. Nobody is immune.

In 2013 I was depressed, I was not taking care of myself. I had no interest. I had no goals. I isolated myself for many, many years. ACMH found me. They literally knocked on my door and offered me help. They offered counseling right in my home. I thought I should try it. They taught me life skills. They made a world of difference.

As a client they helped me keep my appointments, maintain a regular and proper medication schedule, learn to stay organized. They helped me in extraordinary ways. From there I was able to move forward for myself, and I got training and a job.

Now, I am no longer isolated. I am engaged to be married. I am working. I am happy. Now I can do for other people what ACMH did for me. If you want a happy life, use their advice and allow it to move you forward.

People in our communities who suffer from mental illness need support. I see first hand just how vigilant the ACMH staff is, and the quality of service that we offer. At Ana’s House, we have been instrumental in getting the client’s connected with mental and medical health treatment teams. Program Specialists empower ACMH clients by making sure their daily lives are enhanced. As a result, we see clients grow toward stability and success. ACMH is one of the most important organizations in NYC as it ensures our community is a safe haven for everyone while alleviating homelessness throughout the city. That I am a part of making that happen gives me great satisfaction and pride.

Throughout my years at ACMH the agency has grown tremendously, yet the focus on quality has never wavered. The agency encourages professional growth while looking to engage in new initiatives aimed at improving and expanding services. There is a great deal of collaboration within the communities in which we work, this creates a sense that you are really part of a system that is moving towards change.

At ACMH we take a holistic approach to each individual, striving to address all the barriers impeding a person’s success so that where a person has been does not dictate where they can go or what they can achieve. We don’t focus on the individual’s limitations, but rather their strengths in overcoming obstacles.

Throughout the years ACMH has become the source of thousands of success stories highlighting people overcoming obstacles, achieving their goals, and proving that they don’t have to be defined by their diagnosis.

At ACMH we help keep clients out of the hospital, reduce unnecessary ER visits, assist with medication compliance, and assure clients are connected to services in the community so they can remain stable. We are the eyes and ears for treatment providers as we meet with clients in their homes right in the community. Helping clients with serious mental health issues and/or chronic medical conditions find the benefits and essential services they need to remain in their communities has been very satisfying for me personally. I enjoy being able to care for these underserved populations and helping them find the supports they need.

As a native New Yorker, I love knowing that I am helping members of my community and in doing so improving life in the city for everyone. The internal satisfaction I get from my job assisting others is deeply rewarding.

I have valued the work of ACMH for many years and am proud to now be a part of the ACMH community. ACMH has taught me how to empower and inspire the people we serve. Seeing change happen in the lives of those we serve is moving, it is to see real impact in real time. Working at ACMH transcends the traditional idea of work as it is really to labor in the service of humanity.

What is even more amazing about ACMH is that the management knows that in order for my colleagues and I to empower the people we serve, we must also be empowered and the support we get as a result is unmatched. I’ve been lucky to work with so many inspiring people at ACMH. They have taught me that there is always something we can do for our clients, one way or another, we can have positive impact on their lives by empowering them to have faith in their own recovery. Our clients know it too. One of my transition ready clients said he just wants to move to an ACMH housing program because “ACMH is the best!”

Through the care and management services provided and received through ACMH, I was able to reestablish myself by setting realistic goals to attend school, lose weight and evolve spiritually. Presently, I can say I’ve completed and received two certificates, one in Collision Repair Technology from NYADI, another from Apex Technical School in Construction Building Skills where I learned carpentry, plumbing and electrical. As for the weight, I’ve lost between 35-40lbs from a previous 335lbs in which I feel lighter but it’s still a work in progress as I monitor what I eat, my mood and energy while being sure to incorporate rest. Spiritually, I feel closer to my Higher power in wanting peace while enduring through the trials and tribulations of life I believe we all face to make each day better than the last even through the bad days. All in all I’m thankful for the case managers, mental health aides and staff who play an instrumental role in the care and support of ACMH clients to deliver a successful recovery towards independence and reintegration into society.

I began my career with ACMH and plan to stay with the organization for many years to come. Not a single person should live on the street in the 21st century and ACMH tries to help the NYC community with its homelessness crisis by providing housing to a vulnerable population. When I hear success stories where one of our clients gets a full time job or his/her own apartment, I know that ACMH is going in the right direction. I think it’s very special when we can help to change even one person’s life by providing support to find a job or permanent housing.

ACMH allows people to live with dignity, and the entire NYC community is better off for it. I am proud to be part of what is ultimately a wonderful solution for people with mental illness.

Guests come in anxious initially, but after a few days they seem a lot more relaxed. The environment is so comforting, many guests often want to stay longer. As a Peer Counselor, I’ve explained what works for me personally to help individuals coming in cope with depression and anxiety. Without our Respite programs, I think our guests might otherwise have gone to the ER, or might never get any help. I knew one guest who was so traumatized by the ER that he said he would not have known what he’d do without Respite. I try to make our guests feel comfortable by sharing something about myself to help them let their guard down and be more relaxed. It’s a very rewarding job, I usually see a transition between day one, and the smile I get when someone is leaving.

Where I’m living, I accept that will be my home, because I have nowhere else to go. It’s been six years now since I’ve been hospital-free. ACMH is important in the community because it takes people from off the street, from out of the hospital, and places them in a home, where they can have a roof over their head. ACMH is truly a blessing for me. I am pain free now. I am fundamentally happy.

ACMH is so important to NYC because so many of our neighbors have mental illnesses and they need our support in their every day lives. ACMH does just that by offering critical support in every day settings so that clients develop life skills that will help them find stability. ACMH is with clients as they go to their appointments, ACMH helps clients maintain their homes properly and teaches clients about health and hygiene. In helping clients learn to navigate their lives day to day, ACMH is providing key support to our community. To be part of the ACMH community is wonderful.