Alternatives Inc.

“The Form 990 is prepared by the internal accounting staff; it is then reviewed by the Agency's Vice President of Finance, the External Auditors as well as the Board of Trustees via a scheduled meeting, Email, or a telephone conference. The Vice President of Finance collects all input from the External Auditors and 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 Arms-Length and in compliance with the Agency's written "Conflict of Interest Policy". Any gray areas are brought to the attention of the Board of Trustees for further review and approval of these transactions.”

“At the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees held in June, 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 in the State of New Jersey, and determines and approves the compensation level of the President including salary and benefits.The President sets starting salaries for top management officials based on available comparative salaries offered by other similar nonprofit organizations in the State. 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 availability of funds.”

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

“SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES: Alternatives, Inc. provides services and support to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/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 2016, Alternatives opened three (3) new group homes to serve an additional twelve (12) individuals with special needs. Four (4) individuals in Warren County and eight (8) individuals in Monmouth County, NJ. During FY16, Alternatives provided services to the following number of individuals and families in the following program types: Group Homes - 36, Supervised Apartment Living - 67, Emergency Capacity - 4, Supportive Housing - 5, Supportive Living Program - 50, Support Coordination - 32 and Day Program - 14”

“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 FY16, the Community Support Programs served 91 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 13 individuals during FY 16. 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 FY16, 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 FY16 the agency served 16 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 FY16 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.”