Program Participants
Susan’s Legacy is designed for women with documented mental health and substance use disorders AXIS-1. They may enter the program using stand-alone services or by committing to our Empowering Women’s Recovery Program.
Stand-Alone Services
Since our primary focus is to serve women who are homeless, a brief intake is completed to determine homelessness. After completion of a brief in-take, they may receive a follow-up assessment. Participants may then choose to use any of our services. Our Community Support Workers strive to provide more than referrals, even for the briefest contact. Every attempt is made to link participants to available resources and coordinate care with appropriate providers. If eligible for our services, program participants may elect to use any of our stand alone services: support group, mental health and substance abuse counseling and assessments, life skills and employment training, transportation assistance, and essential services (clothing, accessories, household items, etc.).
Empowering Women’s Recovery Program
After completion of an initial in-take and the follow-up assessment, participants may decide they would like a more structured program. Women who have attained a minimum of 60 days drug and alcohol free and who are capable of relatively independent living are eligible, and may elect to commit to our Empowering Women’s Recovery Program. If choosing to enter the program, they are required to pass a drug test prior to admittance and sign a waiver allowing the agency to test them randomly while they are program participants of Susan’s Legacy. They are also required to develop an Individual Service Plan (ISP) designed with the assistance of the intensive case management/care coordination staff. Their plan will be tailored to their specific needs.
A participant’s ISP may include, but is not limited to, determining the number of Twelve Step meetings, life skills classes, psychiatric and/or counseling sessions and support groups a client must attend per month. Susan’s Legacy does not provide treatment services or emergency housing.
This is a comprehensive and long-term approach to recovery that has hope and optimism as core beliefs. Services are offered in a positive atmosphere and people are encouraged to believe that they can recover as many others have. Ultimately, the objective is to help women learn to manage both their mental illness and substance use problems so that they can pursue their life goals.
Sandoval County Jail Diversion Program
According the the National alliance on Mental Health, up to 40% of people with mental illness will come into contact with law enforcement. The Forensic Intervention Consortium of Sandoval County (FIC-SC), is comprised of consumers, family members, law enforcement, jail personnel, and any providers interested in jail diversion. FIC-SC works to:
- Establish and maintain mental health jail diversion programs, which provide early identification and intervention to persons in the target population;
- Ensure treatment has been provided to persons in the targtet population;
- Promote forensic education to law enforcement agencies, courts, correction officers, healthcare providers, probation and parole officers, consumers, family members, and anyone who in an official capacity comes into contact with persons in the target population; and
- Identify community and state resources and establish interagency collaboration within Sandoval County and within New Mexico, in order to reduce inappropriate incarceration to persons in the target population.
Susan’s Legacy became a member FIC-SC in 2010, when it was provided funding from the Frost Foundation to provide case management to women with co-occurring mental and additive disorders involved in The Sandoval County Jail Diversion Program. Additionally, due to the lack of resources in Sandoval County we were able to provide limited housing specific to this project.