Residential

PSL Services supported apartment program is designed specifically for individuals who have the ability to live in their own apartments with support.  This program was developed for people who had chosen to live independently but required some additional support for them to be successful.  This program was the first of its kind in the State for people with intellectual disabilities and has served as a model for several similar developments elsewhere.

Our program, known as “Safe City Settings,” offers the availability of on-site 24-hr support in addition to 1:1 direct support hours.  Other aspects of the program include:

SAFETY:  

• Awareness of tenants’ plans and whereabouts each day    
• Monitoring visitors
• Providing for basic health and safety of each tenant
  • Assuring safety in the kitchen
  • Oversight of medications
  • Monitoring health issues
  • Monitoring food supplies

TREATMENT PLANS:  

Staff and tenants follow annual plans developed by each tenant and their treatment team ever year.

These plans:

• Identify long and short term goals;
• Outline action steps and resources needed so goals can be achieved;
• Identifies needed services and who or what entity will provide them
• Progress is monitored regularly

SKILLS BUILDING:  

Staff provide encouragement and support as each tenant develops the skills they need to live more independently.  Following are a few areas of concentration:

• Apartment management, cleaning, sanitation, safety;
• Budgeting and paying bills;
• Nutrition, meal planning, grocery shopping and preparation;
• Communication and social skills development;
• Personal Safety

COMMUNITY:  SCS provides an atmosphere that fosters friendships and a network of mutual support:

• Tenants’ Associations meet monthly to set policy and plan events;
• Tenants are encouraged to take advantage of no-cost or low-cost community resources;
• During the holidays, tenants frequently gather to cook and share a holiday meal; at other times, pot luck or pizza is the bill of fare.

 SUPPORT:

 Caring staff are available day and night to:

• provide emotional support;
• assist with problem solving;
• share triumphs;

  In-house case management services provide:

• monitoring of health status;
• coordination of medical appointments;
• monitoring and assistance with medications;
• assistance with subsidy application and renewals;
• advocacy with individuals being served.

For more information about this program, contact Christina Dumont at 879-0847 or cdumont@pslservices.org.

PSL’s Personal Support Services program is designed for people who have their own apartments in the community and do not require 24-hour on-site support.  However, their skills are such that they do need assistance in certain areas to maintain their success in the community and further increase their independence.

Areas of need are identified by the individual and his or her treatment team, and a plan is developed using a menu of services available through this level of support.  The menu is flexible and includes support such as:

• Assistance with medical and dental appointments;
• Keeping track of medications and assistance with re-orders, if needed;
• Budgeting;
• Meal planning, which often presents opportunities for ‘teachable moments’;
• Grocery shopping;
• Meal prep, food handling and storage;
• Learning to navigate the Greater Portland area by bus;
• Organizing household chores;
• Apartment cleaning and maintenance;
• Laundry;
• Variable, flexible hours of support
• Assistance with reading mail; completing applications and recertifications for      subsidies;
• Assistance with problem-solving, self-advocacy and more

All services are developed within the context of the individual’s plan for support (Person Centered Plan) and progress toward goals is monitored on an ongoing basis.

For more information, contact the Associate Director: lrogers@pslservices.org or
call Lori Sanville at (207) 879-0847.

STRIVE U is a two year residentially-based program that provides post-secondary education and training to young adults with developmental disabilities in the realms of residential, employment, and community skills with the goal of enabling its graduates to live and work as full community members with maximum independence, productivity, and dignity.

STRIVE U Includes:

• Attending classes at the University of Southern Maine,
• Living in a dorm like atmosphere that help prepare students to live more independently.
• A number of paid job experiences.
• A lot of hard work.

For more information, please contact Erin Berg at eberg@pslservices.org or (207) 774-6278.