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WWAMH Warren Washington Association for Mental Health Housing

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WWAMH Warren Washington Association for Mental Health Housing
Mental health housing is available for individuals and families through WWAMH.  There is a waitlist, but some individuals can be given priority depending on need. 50 Cooper St in Glens Falls opened mid-May 2021.  See below for details.

Warren Washington Association for Mental Health is related to Caleo Counseling.  They also have support groups/ social club for those with mental health (East Side Center) and a garden out of The Office of Community Services.  This program requires a SPOA referral.

Cooper St. Apartments- Warren-Washington Association for Mental Health
50 Cooper St. Glens Falls, NY 12801
*Emergency Interim Rooms and permanent apartments
Mission Statement:  “The goal of the Cooper St. Apartment program is to provide safe and affordable supported housing for individuals and families that have had difficulty maintaining housing in the past. Individualized strategies and access to supports 24 hours a day will aid in this mission. WWAMH is committed to providing support to our area’s most vulnerable friends and families and will work toward the goal of ending homelessness in our community.”
*Presently not accepting those with sex offense history.
*Case-by-case discussion for individuals for those with violent behaviors.
*28-unit apartment building for homeless individuals and families.

    • Severe and Persistent Mental Illness Diagnosis (SPMI) – 14 rooms
    • Survivor of Domestic Violence – 4 rooms
    • Chronically Homeless – 6 rooms (2 individuals per room = 12 beds)
    • Young Adult (18-24 years old) – 4 rooms
    • There are 6 emergency interim rooms for individuals facing immediate need of shelter; which will be double bunked as needed. Both males and females will be welcome; recognizing only same sex individuals will be placed in a room together. Rooms are dormitory style and are off the main entrance, separated from the permanent housing. The Interim rooms share a living room, dining room, kitchen, washer/dryer, bathroom and have access to the supports offered by the complex. The Interim stay is 30-days, though negotiable pending the client’s participation in compliance and with seeking and obtaining affordable, permanent housing.
    • The emergency interim rooms include:
    • 6 bedrooms with shared living areas
    • Individualized coordination to aid in finding a permanent housing solution
    • Connection to Care/Case Management when needed
    • Specific Senior Specialist On-Site for case coordination for the homeless
    • Payment – $65/day per bed
    • Self-pay
    • DSS Payment

Cooper St. Apartments will include the following amenities:

  • 24-hour staffing (awake 24 hours) and supports
  • Subsidized rent allowing tenant’s rent to be based on 30% of their income
  • Individualized and goal-oriented assistance from Residential Specialists
  • Outreach Position to be filled
  • Connection with outside entities / resources / collaboration for:
    • job training
    • mental health treatment
      • Recognition that there are a variety of co-diagnosis such as mental health and Drug/Alcohol concerns with the same individual to be addressed
    • educational opportunities
    • etc.
  • Narcan on site; staff trained in use. However, there is a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol or drug use on the premises
  • Benefit management
  • Cooper St. Apartments – On Site Rep Payee
  • Fitness Center and Community Room
  • On-site Library (in process)
  • Communal laundry room
  • 4 multi-bedroom units for families facing homelessness
    • Head of Household needs to meet at least one of the Cooper St. Apartments criteria (see above)

*The criteria for Cooper St. Apartments are the following:

  • Homeless at time of admission
  • Intake and Assessment done in Coordinated Entry (CE); DSS exception w/TC
      • For assistance with Coordinated Entry (CE) please contact Thomas Barber (518-760-1798) or Matthew Ryan (518-747-2284 ext. 224). Senior Residential Specialist Evelyn Stephenson
        • Intake Process – provide background, client then would be contacted by Cooper St. Apartments staff to arrange a meeting to go meet with client to review the location / rules, would like to give the client at lease a day to think about committing to compliance. It is possible to do same day Intake – but rare. Generally, no Intakes on Friday
  • Meet income standards for HUD
  • Having one of the following qualifiers:
    • Severe and Persistent Mental Illness Diagnosis (SPMI)
      • Example: bi-polar, schizophrenia, PTSD, anti-social, mental health hospitalizations; additionally – in general with an anxiety/depression diagnosis – to prove persistence would need a diagnosis currently and can also show diagnosis from 5-10 years ago
    • Survivor of Domestic Violence
    • Chronically Homeless – proved through a third party statement, can be a statement from DSS that states the individual / family is homeless
      • Be able to show 4 bouts of homelessness in a three-year period that totals 12 months
      • One year, 12 months, continuous homelessness
    • Young Adult (18-24 years old)
      • Age only criteria – proof of I.D. required