Legacy’s Enhanced Community Support Services (ECSS) program supports adults being released from state psychiatric hospitals. ECSS offers a high level of support and case management services for adults living in Burlington County with 24-hour on-call support. The program offers mental health rehabilitation and support services that assist individuals with the skills necessary to achieve their wellness and recovery goals. Additional services include skill building, education/employment assistance, service linkages, advocacy, peer support services, and housing assistance.
ECSS consumer, Matt, was released from the state hospital and moved into his own apartment in 2019. He had not seen his toddler son in a few years upon release and had to endure the court system for an additional several months to regain contact. Matt attended his treatment program with Legacy and followed recommendations, all in hopes of seeing his son again. Matt’s visits with his son started off short and heavily supervised, but eventually progressed to him recently being approved for bi-weekly, overnight visits. Throughout his journey to thriving, Matt’s focus has been to have a relationship with his son and his excitement at this new development is evident.
Destiny, another ECSS consumer, has lived in a condemned unit for the past several years. The poor conditions negatively impacted her health, and the apartment was not accessibly designed for her mobility limitations. Through Legacy’s ECSS program, Destiny was approved for a rental voucher, but she still faced numerous obstacles while searching for housing. Destiny has now been in her new apartment for three months and she is relieved that she can move around safely, while the improved air quality is doing wonders for her wellbeing.