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 approval 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 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.”

“RESIDENTIAL SERVICES Alternatives, Inc. provides residential 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. In addition, the agency provides housing and services to homeless individuals and families to transition them into a permanent housing situation. 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. 1. Group Homes, Supervised Apartments and Supportive Living Programs: In these programs 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 headed by a BCBA which provides functional behavioral assessment, behavior intervention plans, environmental modifications, staff training and other essential services pertaining to clinical/behavioral 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 that 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, and through specialized staff training on topics relevant to clients' health needs. Individuals are referred to Alternatives, Inc. by the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). New program development continued at a steady pace during FY17. Vacancies were filled in group homes that had opened at the end of FY16 (In Warren and Ocean Counties). Two (2) additional group homes, both located in Ocean County, and each designated to serve four (4) individuals, opened during FY17. Furthermore, the Agency commenced the construction and renovation of four (4) new group homes in Somerset County and identified some of the clients who will move into these group homes. These houses are anticipated to open in FY18. During FY17, Alternatives provided residential services to 161 individuals with I/DD in the following program types: Group Homes - 47 Supervised Apartment Living - 60 Emergency Capacity - 4 Supportive Living Program - 50 2. The Transitional Housing (TH) program serves single adults coming from homeless situations. The length of stay at this program is from 6 to 12 months. Services are aimed at helping the individual gain self-sufficiency in order to graduate them into permanent housing. In FY17 the agency served 20 individuals through the TH program. Individuals are referred to the agency's by the County Board of Social Services, families, and consumers themselves. 3. 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 FY17 the agency served 24 families (including 40 children) through the FH program. Individuals are referred to the agency's by the County Board of Social Services, families, and consumers themselves.”

“Community Services consists of programs dedicated to servicing individuals who struggle with mental health needs as well as individuals with Intellectual and Developmental disabilities. 1. The Community Support Program (CSP) serves adults with mental illness and substance abuse issues who live independently in the community. CSP serve individuals in Somerset and Warren Counties, NJ on an outreach basis; the clients live in either their own housing or residences owned by the agency. All clients are offered outreach case management and clinical services such as skill building, money management, linkages to community and mental health resources, assistance with daily living skills, etc. Staff works with these clients on specific strategies to help them recover from mental health symptoms, gain employment, maintain their housing and finances, maintain a safe and stable residence, and improve their overall quality of life. During FY17, the Community Support Programs served 93 individuals within 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 10 individuals during FY 17. Services for this program are the same as CSP. Individuals are referred to the agency by the Division of Mental Health and Addition Services (DMHAS), community mental health centers, hospitals, families, and consumers themselves. 2. The Community Supportive Living Programs in Warren and Somerset Counties, NJ are funded by the NJ-Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) 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 enhanced supportive housing services to twelve (12) individuals who were either discharged directly from a state psychiatric hospital, or coming from an at-risk situation in the community. These clients are typically seen more frequently than the CSP clients. The clients live in either their own 1-bedroom or 2-bedroom apartment with a roommate. Staff is located on site. Services are oriented towards assisting the individuals in transitioning from a hospital or homeless setting and integrating them into the community. Staff provide such services as skill building, money management, mental health counseling, medication education, daily living skills training, advocacy, linkages to community resources/entitlements and vocational assistance. The overall purpose of the program is to provide a safe and stable environment for individuals to learn the skills necessary to live independently, recover from their mental health symptoms and be fully integrated into the community. During FY17, the Community Supportive Living Program served a total of 10 unduplicated individuals. Individuals are referred to the agency by the Division of Mental Health and Addition Services (DMHAS), community mental health centers, hospitals, families, and consumers themselves. 3. Support Coordination Program is dedicated to provide Support Coordination Services to the 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 placed 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 the fiscal year of 2017 the agency served 61clients under the Support Coordination Program. 4. Abilities In Motion (AIM) Day Program was opened by Alternatives, Inc. in 2014. Clients come together to work on life skills, vocational skills and social skills. Engaging in activities including arts and crafts, light exercise and cooking participants learn and practice ski”