Alternatives Inc.

“The form 990 is reviewed by the agency's vice president of finance and the board of trustees via a scheduled meeting, email, or a telephone conference. The vice president of finance collects all input from the board of trustees and revises the form 990 with necessary changes before filing it with the irs.”

“Whenever transactions are entered into with employees or their family members, the board of trustees or vendors that may have the appearance of a conflict of interest, these transactions are reviewed by management to assure that the transactions are at a arms-length and in compliance with the agency's written "conflict of interest policy". Any gray areas are broguht to the attention of the board of trustees for further review and approval of these transactions.”

“At the ANNUAL board meeting HELD IN June of every year, the Board of Trustees evaluates the President's performance for the year, gathers and compares available external data about executive compensation from other similar nonprofit organizations, and determines whether or not to adjust the President's salary. The President sets starting salaries for top management officals based on available comparative salaries offered by other similar nonprofit organizations. The president reviews and approves all salary adjustments for top management officials based on a performance appraisal and based upon the availability of funds. The Human Resource Department along with top management officials determines the starting wages and salaries for all non-management employees based on comparative compensation offered by other similar nonprofit organizations in State. Supervisors review and approve all wage and salary adjustments for their pertinent employees based on a performance appraisal and based upon the availablility of funds.”

“The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request.”

“Alternatives, Inc. opened Abilities in Motion ("AIM") Day Program on July 1, 2014 with 4 ladies who transferred from the Federation of Multi-Cultural Programs. Since that time, we have expanded the program where we are currently serving 11 clients and have an expanded capacity of 15. In January 2015, AIM received a 3 year certification from the State of New Jersey, Division of Developmental Disabilities ("DDD"). In addition, during fiscal year 2015 the Agency started providing Support Coordination Services to people with developmental disabilities. Under this program the Agency conducts Individual assessments for each individual and assists them with finding the appropriate placement for services in the community. Once place in the community, the Agency monitors their services to assure that the clients' needs are met and that they are satisfied with the service provider. During this fiscal year the agency served 21 new clients under the support coordination program.”

“Services for Individuals with Developmental Disablities: Alternatives, Inc. provides services and support to adults with developmental disabilities (DD) to enable them to direct their own lives and to ultimately attain the highest possible quality of life. Staff provides an array of services and supports in areas such as daily living, employment, health management, recreation and socialization, behavioral assessment and intervention, transportation and money management. Services are provided in a variety of settings, up to 24 hours a day/7 days per week, depending on the needs of the client. Additional support is available through a 24-hour on-call system. The agency has a team of experienced clinicians who provide functional behavioral assessment, behavior intervention plans, environmental modifications, staff training and other essential services pertaining to clinical needs. The comprehensive approach coincides with the person's goals and the agency's person-centered philosophy. The agency also provides nursing services. The goal of these services is to ensure Alternatives' clients receive the quality medical care and the treatment support that they may require. This is accomplished through a variety of methods including, but not limited to: direct advocacy efforts by the nursing staff with the client's primary care or specialist physicians, through direct medical support when needed, and through staff specialized trainings on topics relevant to clients' health needs. Individuals are referred to Alternatives DD services by the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). During Fiscal Year 2015, Alternatives opened a new group home to serve four (4) individuals in Jackson, Ocean County. During FY15, Alternatives provided services to the following number of individuals with Developmental Disabilities in the following programs: Group Homes - 31 Supervised Apartment Living - 66 Emergency Capacity - 3 DD Supportive Housing - 3 Supportive Living Program - 55 Support Coordination - 21 Bridges to Employment (BTE) Career Development Center (Deaf &Hard of Hearing Services) & Supported Employment Services Alternatives' Employment Division, Bridges to Employment, has been providing Supported Employment Services to the community since 1999. Bridges to Employment has received four (4) consecutive and successful CARF Accreditations. Since 2001, Bridges has expanded from a team of five (5) staff to a team of twenty-five (25) staff and serves six (6) counties throughout Central New Jersey. This department consists of a Career Development Center where we provide Vocational Assessment, Resource & Referral, Training and Supported Employment to those with hearing loss in six (6) counties within Central New Jersey. Through general Supported Employment services, we provide job search, placement and job coaching to the general adult population of those with disabilities in Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset and Hunterdon Counties. Transition Services are also provided to high school students currently in a model that provides Classroom Learning, as well as Structured Learning Experiences in the community, all geared at preparing students for the workforce upon graduation. In Fiscal Year 2015, between both the Career Development Center and general Supported Employment services, Bridges to Employment served 272 clients which included 118 new client referrals. The Career Development Center conducted 14 Vocational Assessments, and provided job readiness and job seeking services to 35 individuals with hearing loss. We placed 62 clients into jobs. Eighty-seven percent (87%), 54 of those placed, retained employment for 90 days or more. Of the 62 clients placed, seventy-six percent (76%) or 47 people, retained employment for one year or more. Our average time for placement was 23 Weeks. In Fiscal Year 2015, our overall Client Satisfaction was 99%. During fiscal year 2015, Bridges to Employment entered into a contract with Capital County Children's Collabora”

“Community Outreach Programs: The Community Outreach Services Department (COS) consists of programs dedicated to servicing individuals in both, Warren and Somerset Counties, NJ, in recovery from mental illness as well as homeless individuals and those with substance abuse issues. In addition, the agency provides housing and services to homeless individuals and families to transition them into a permanent housing situation. The Community Support Program (CSP) serves adults with mental illness and substance abuse issues who live independently in the community. The CSP programs serve individuals in Somerset and Warren Counties, NJ on an outreach basis; wherein the clients live in either their own housing or houses owned by the agency, and receive outreach case management and clinical services such as supportive counseling, transportation, linkages to community and mental health resources, assistance with daily living skills, etc. Staff works with clients in these programs to help them recover from their mental health symptoms, gain employment, maintain their housing and finances, maintain a safe and stable residence, and improve their overall quality of life. During FY15, the Community Support Programs served 92 individuals in those two (2) counties. In addition, thirteen (13) slots in this program are set-aside for some of the most challenging individuals, individuals who were chronically homeless prior to placement. Similar to the Community Support Program is the Permanent Housing Program, which served 11 individuals during FY 15. Services for this program are the same as CSP. The agency receives funding for the Community Supportive Living Program, located in Belvidere, Warren County and in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey. These programs are funded by the NJ-Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services out of an initiative put forth under the Olmstead Act, which aims to move discharge-ready patients out of restrictive state psychiatric hospital settings into the community. These programs provide comprehensive, 24/7 support services, to twelve (12) individuals who were discharged directly from a state psychiatric hospital. The consumers live in either their own 1-bedroom apartment or 2-bedroom apartments with a roommate. Staff is located on site. Services are oriented towards assisting the individuals in transitioning from a hospital setting and integrating them into the community. Staff provide such services as money management, mental health counseling, medication education, daily living skills training, transportation, recreation events, advocacy, linkages to community resources/entitlements and vocational assistance. The overall purpose of the program is to provide a safe, stable environment for individuals to learn the skills necessary to live independently, recover from their mental health symptoms and be fully integrated back into the community. During FY15, the Community Supportive Living Program served a total of 14 unduplicated individuals. The Transitional Housing (TH) program serves single adults who came out from homelessness situations; the length of stay is from 6 to 12 months. Services are aimed at helping the individuals gain self-sufficiency in order to graduate them into permanent housing. In FY15 the agency served 18 individuals through the TH program. The Franklin House (FH) Program serves homeless single mothers and their children in a similar environment as the Transitional Housing Program. The Franklin House assists the women in gaining employment and improving parenting skills in order to enable them to live independently with their children. In FY15 the agency served 18 families through the FH program Individuals are referred to the agency's Community Outreach Services by the Division of Mental Health and Addition Services (DMHAS) county Boards of Social Services, community mental health centers, hospitals, families, and consumers themselves.”

“Other changes in net assets include an adjustment to net present value of $6,584.”