Realizing human potential through unique housing opportunities. Providing community living alternatives for individuals who are differently abled has been a core mission of FREE since our founding in 1977.
Today, we are among the premier providers of residential services and the most successful in enabling individuals to reach their highest level of independence and community integration.
FREE’s residential services are characterized by:
Diversity
Diverse programs that reach out to individuals who are often underserved, such as those with co-occurring disorders, those with chemical abuse or complex behavioral support needs, the medically frail, and the homeless.
Care
Continuity of care ensures our individuals can access all of the FREE residential, day, vocational, and other services that best meet their needs and preferences.
Exceptionally Trained
Exceptionally trained teams develop training programs that are unique in their breadth and depth. Every FREE employee receives a comprehensive orientation and hands-on training that exceeds regulatory standards.
Empowering
An unmatched record of changing lives – time and again, FREE has embraced individuals whose needs and challenges were such that they simply could not be served to their satisfaction elsewhere, and enabled them, over time, to gain a level of independent living that they and their families never dared hope they would achieve.
Housing Options for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
In FREE’s residential programs, sponsored with the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), individuals receive skills development and habilitation services in such areas as socialization, recreation, problem solving, personal development, activities of daily living, travel training, health care, and medication maintenance, and many more. Provided in over 100 communities throughout Long Island and New York City, our diverse residential services include:
Supervised 24-Hour Residential Alternatives
Individuals are supported throughout the day and night as they work, travel and enjoy life in their local community.
Intermediate Care Facilities
Individuals receive highly structured, enhanced support from a skilled clinical team and support staff.
Specialty Programs
Offers individuals specialized therapeutic environments, including Prader-Willi, Autism, Complex Medical Needs, and Forensic Services.
Housing Options for Mental Health Recovery
FREE offers a wide range of residential opportunities, sponsored with the Office of Mental Health (OMH). The goal of FREE’s community-based residential opportunities is to provide quality, individual-driven, recovery oriented services to help individuals maximize their independence and reach their full potential. Our restorative services include medication management, independent living, substance abuse, rehabilitation counseling, symptom management, skill development, and others.
Independent Living Services
Individuals live in an apartment with 1 or 2 roommates. The individuals are able to navigate their community to meet their daily needs. Program staff offer training and support to further enhance their skills and abilities to become more independent or to maintain their current level of housing. Support professionals visit at a frequency determined by the individual’s needs.
Community-Based Housing and Support Services
Individualized Support Services
Offers assistance to individuals with intellectual disabilities in locating, leasing or buying individualized living arrangements that are alternatives to traditional group living. Program participants are provided assistance in formulating a budget, based on income, in order to access grant funds, maintain landlord/tenant relations and ensure a safe and healthy living environment.
Homeless Housing Program
Offers support services including case management, life skills training, alcohol and drug abuse services and mental health treatment. FREE supports homeless populations as well as those at risk of being homeless or residing in situations considered unfit for human habitation on Long Island.
Family Care
Provides community based residential care to individuals with developmental disabilities in certified private homes. Family Care creates an atmosphere of family living, with all of the benefits associated with the family unit. Individuals receive residential habilitation, supports and protective oversight from their service provider.