About Us

Susan's Legacy is a non-profit organization founded in memory of Susan Rose, a warm, intelligent young woman who struggled with and lost her battle against mental illness and drug addiction. The mission of Susan's Legacy is to provide services to women with co-occurring mental and addictive disorders.

Women dually diagnosed with both mental health and substance use disorders endure a constant battle to maintain their lives, sobriety, and housing. They often have trouble finishing their education and finding employment. These women face the same struggles as our program’s namesake Susan Rose

At Susan’s Legacy we offer our clients with co-occurring disorders the opportunity to safely transition from a residential treatment/recovery program to re-entry into the community. Clients move into permanent supportive housing which offers structure and strong peer support. Our highly trained professionals and proactive board of directors help to provide a smooth transition into the mainstream.

The Corporation for Supportive Housing (www.csh.org) shows concrete evidence that supportive housing creates positive impacts on reducing substance use. A one-year follow up study found 90% of those living in supportive housing remained sober. There is further evidence that supportive housing provides a positive impact for persons with mental illness.

Our History, Growth and Success

Susan’s Legacy started serving the community in September 2004. The agency began leasing ten apartments at scattered sites in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to provide supportive housing for formerly homeless women in recovery from co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. We currently have a long wait list with plans to expand. However, these plans are dependent on increased funding and donations.

Our organization is designed for women with documented mental health and substance use disorders. Women who have attained a minimum of ninety days of sobriety and who are capable of relatively independent living are eligible. They must have completed a treatment/recovery program, passed a drug test prior to admittance and signed a waiver allowing the agency to test them randomly while they are clients of Susan’s Legacy. Clients must comply with the goals set for them by the Clinical Director. These goals include determining the number of Twelve Step meetings, life skills classes, psychiatric visits and support groups a client must attend per month. Susan's Legacy does not provide treatment services or emergency housing.

Our rapid growth speaks volumes about the success of our unique program and its support from the community.

The mission of Susan's Legacy is to provide services to women with co-occurring mental and addictive disorders.