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Attention All Care Coordinators!
The following is the first issue of the Care Coordinator Connection
quarterly e-newsletter.

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BREAKING NEWS! People Inc. is proud to announce that we are now affiliated with Deaf Access Services. This connection will help us expand and enrich Deaf services that we currently deliver. Check out our next issue for more information about our exciting, new partnership.

A Message from our CEO
Welcome to your best resource for all the services and supports you may need to access in your new role. You are such an integral part of this bigger team, so please make sure you stay connected with People Inc. for updates you can use for people with developmental disabilities, special needs and older adults. As you work to help coordinate services from across systems and create one “life plan” for all service needs, remember that we will continually strive to make your jobs easier in this new system of care.

Our agency was started by a small group of parents and professionals who were both concerned and passionate about addressing the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They joined together to address those needs and formed what would become People Inc. Since then, we have grown to offer more services than any organization in this region. We are innovators who develop person-centered, creative and cutting-edge service options.

At People Inc., we recognize that you are the important link between the people needing supports, and our robust array of services, ensuring they are connected to high quality care. As excellent professionals, each and every one of you leaves a lasting impression on the people we serve.
We appreciate your dedicated work and will continue to offer that same great range of services
at the highest levels of quality care that you have come to expect from People Inc.

Remember, as partners, we are always here, and only a phone call away. Contact our Admissions Departments by email, admissionsbuffalo@people-inc.org or call 716.880.3700 in Buffalo or admissionsrochester@people-inc.org or 585.441.9300 in Rochester, should you have questions about services. We appreciate all the trust you have put into People Inc. in the past and we look forward to continually working diligently to support you in the future.

Gratefully,
Rhonda Frederick
President and CEO, People Inc.

Interior/kitchen of a
Highland School apartment.

Rendering of the Linwood Lafayette apartments exterior.

Tax Credit Housing

Tax Credit Housing Opportunities
Well known for its development of group homes for people with developmental disabilities and for affordable housing for older adults, People Inc. continues to serve the community by bringing various audiences together for a unique, affordable and safe housing model. Our apartments provide safe and affordable living to a diverse group of people with and without disabilities who are income-eligible within the Western New York community. Various amenities are available.

Highland School Apartments
Located at 105 Highland Avenue, Tonawanda, this former Highland School was renovated into mixed-income and integrated apartments. People Inc. Highland School Apartments brings together a diverse group of people, including those with disabilities and the general public who are income-eligible.

The apartment building includes 35 one-bedroom and three two-bedroom handicap-adaptable apartments. The building was modified with safety features, a community and activity room and
on-site laundry facilities. A bus route is nearby and the location is accessible to a number of services and stores.

This is the first integrated project of its kind for People Inc. and the third time People Inc. has transformed a former school into housing. There are 10 apartments available for people with I/DD, but there is currently a waiting list for these secure, one-bedroom living spaces.

If you have someone in your caseload that is 18+ and in need of housing, complete an application to be added to the waiting list by clicking here. If you need more information, email housing@people-inc.org or call 716.880.3890.

Linwood Lafayette Senior Apartments – OPENINGS NOW FOR PEOPLE WITH I/DD,
AGE 55 AND OLDER!
Located at 637 Linwood Avenue in Buffalo, the Linwood-Lafayette Senior Apartments will be ready to rent in March 2019. In conjunction with the Gates Circle renovation initiative, this project, currently under construction, will consist of 37 mixed-income apartments for seniors ages 55 years and older; ranging from 30 to 130 percent of median income. Additionally, the project will include seven units for people with developmental disabilities, age 55 years and older, who live independently.

People Inc. moved this new apartment project forward, becoming part of the redevelopment of this pivotal area in Buffalo’s continued resurgence. The Linwood Lafayette Senior Apartments will be located near the recently opened senior living complex by Canterbury Woods, adding vibrancy to the various neighborhoods that will be connected by the redevelopment of Gates Circle.

These one-bedroom apartments will include a kitchen with appliances. The three-story apartment building will also include a community room with kitchen, on-site laundry facilities and courtyards. Tenants may have one small pet. Safety features will include a secure entrance and a 24-hour, on-call emergency service. The project is near a major bus route and easily accessible to a number of services and retail shops.

If you have someone in your caseload that is 55+ and in need of housing, have them complete an application here. For more information on upcoming building openings, email housing@people-inc.org or call 716.880.3890.

Vocational and Supported Employment Opportunities

Supported Employment Program
People Inc. has long been an advocate for vocational training and employment opportunities. Since 1986, People Inc. has assisted people through Vocational Services by offering programs that help with varying needs and abilities to train, prepare for, secure and maintain competitive employment. We assess job-readiness that aids in the development of skills and abilities that are designed to lead to a job placement in the competitive work world. We provide a full array of employment services, where people can choose the options that work best for them. Services can include job coaching, job placement and ongoing support.

Our Supported Employment Program serves a large spectrum of people with disabilities who live throughout Erie and Niagara Counties. The program promotes individualized job carving to accommodate the people we serve. It also continues to utilize the individual placement model, which provides people with developmental disabilities an assessment of employment interest and choice, job development, job training, stabilization and long-term follow along. All placements are community-based in an integrated setting. Participants are employees of their place of employment and are paid the prevailing wage for their work.

People Inc. has one of the largest supported employment programs in New York State
and serves over 600 people annually. We currently serve 250 people annually through
our pre-vocational services.

Contract Manufacturing
For nearly five decades, People Inc., previously Southeast Works, has provided a safe environment for adults with developmental disabilities to do meaningful manufacturing work for a special minimum wage.

Do you have a person that you are working with who would benefit from being a part of a team doing light assembly and packaging? Look no further than People Inc.! This program provides meaningful employment for hardworking people with and without developmental disabilities. We are currently accepting referrals through our community-based, pre-vocational Contract Manufacturing Program.

Our Contract Manufacturing Program will continue to provide a sense of purpose and an avenue to achieve a person’s goals. You will hear more about this exciting shift toward a more integrated work environment in the coming months, so stay tuned!

For more information or questions, email contractmanufacturing@people-inc.org or call 716.683.7100.

Additional Supported Employment Opportunities

Employment Training Program (ETP)
This program helps people prepare and plan for employment success by completing various paid community internships in conjunction with structured work readiness classes. These internships provide opportunities for people with developmental disabilities to build skills that will increase their employability. The ETP could also be combined with our Young Adult Life Transitions (YALT) Program to further enhance vocational experiences of participants.

Pathway to Employment
If you have someone in your caseload who needs assistance to obtain, maintain or advance in competitive employment or self-employment, try our Pathway to Employment. This service offers an individualized planning process that helps people identify a career or vocational direction. It also provides instruction and training in job-readiness skills and develops a plan for achieving competitive, integrated employment at or above the New York State minimum wage. Within 12 months, the outcome of this service is documentation of the participant’s stated career objective, a detailed career plan used to guide employment supports and preparation for supported employment services.

For more information regarding these vocational programs, email admissionsbuffalo@people-inc.org or call 716.880.3700 in Buffalo and admissionsrochester@people-inc.org or 585.441.9300 in Rochester.

More Available Resources...

People First Mobility is Here Year Round
People First Mobility (PFM) is available anytime of the year as Western New York’s premier provider of mobility, seating and home medical equipment, enabling people with disabling conditions to reach their functional potential in their home and community. Built into the existing Elmwood Health Center, PFM mainly focuses on quality, specialized wheelchairs and seating. For customer convenience, PFM is able to further support its customers with complex rehabilitation equipment and rehab products, orthotics and more. These experts in the mobility field are quick, reliable and always focused on meeting the needs of their customers. PFM is also a provider for Medicare, Medicaid and most major insurance plans. Visit their website or give them a call at 716.566.5000, if someone you know needs mobility assistance and they’ll help guide you every step of the way.

Day Habilitation Openings
People Inc. currently has openings in both Group Day Habilitation and Day Hab Without Walls.
For more information on how people can apply or if you have general questions regarding admissions, reach out to our Admissions Department at admissionsbuffalo@people-inc.org or 716.880.3700 in Buffalo and admissionsrochester@people-inc.org or 585.441.9300 or in Rochester and ask for the Admissions staff.

WNY Coalition Pooled Trust
The WNY Coalition Pooled Trusts provides three unique Supplemental Needs Trusts to enhance the quality of life for people with a developmental disability and older adults. These trusts help secure their financial future, without causing them to lose their government benefits. The Under 65 Self-Funded Trust is for people with a disability under the age of 65 who are depositing their own funds into the trust. The Over 65 Self-Funded Trust is for people who have a qualifying disability and are over the age of 65. This gives older adults the ability to safeguard their assets and supplement benefits, pay bills and expenses (with some limitations); all while not jeopardizing Medicaid or other Social Security benefits. Additionally, parents and guardians often use the Friends and Family 3rd Party Trust to provide for the future care of their child or loved one with a disability. Many older adults may qualify as disabled as they age, and could utilize a pooled trust to remain in their own homes. For more information on how this can benefit one of the people you are currently working with or to set up a presentation, email info@wnypooledtrust.org or call Tracey Kosmoski at 716.817.7484 or 1.866.362.5081.

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Williamsville, NY | 14231 US

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