Helping Young Adults with Severe Mental Illness Navigate the Community
LSS New Alternatives helps young adults learn to manage severe mental illness and navigate their community, providing housing, case management, counseling, nursing care, and medication management in a safe place with 24-hour staffing.
Who We Support
New Alternatives is designed for young adults who meet the following criteria:
- Aged 18-22
- Living with a severe mental illness, defined as a substantial organic or psychiatric disorder of thought, mood, perception, orientation, or memory that impairs judgement, behavior, or the ability to cope with the basic demands of life
- Have resided in out-of-home placements through hospitalization, foster care, psychiatric residential treatment facilities, or chemical dependency treatment
- Entering adulthood with limited support systems
Safe Housing Program
New Alternatives provides safe housing for clients while they learn the life skills necessary to live on their own.
Young adults gain knowledge and confidence to obtain community resources and manage their personal needs more effectively. As they prepare to live on their own, they're linked to other adult mental health services that can continue to support their lifestyle.
Individual Services
New Alternatives uses a coordinated team approach to implement case plans that include goals, education, and services. This helps young adults establish community resources, including:
- Aftercare planning and support
- Employment and volunteer experiences
- Help with transportation and bus services
- Community recreation activities
Educational Services
Independent living classes teach skills through hands-on learning. Topics include:
- Medication Management
- Money Management
- Problem-Solving
- Cooking and Nutrition
- Menu Planning
- Community Transportation
- Future Housing Options
- Education Planning
- Employment
- Community Resources
- Interpersonal Skills
- Hygiene
- Health Management
- Emergency and Safety Skills
- Housekeeping
