In this video, PRA has highlighted a local SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) Success Story. SOAR is a national program designed to increase access to the disability income benefit programs administered by the Social Security Administration for eligible adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a serious mental illness, medical impairment, and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder. You'll meet Russell, the SOAR applicant; Abigail Kirkman, Senior Project Associate at PRA; and staff from the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless in Albany, New York.

In this video, PRA Senior Project Associate Avery Irons provides an overview of the School Responder Model and its implementation in the Schenectady City School District. The School Responder Model is a behavioral health response to school infractions that provides an alternative to calling law enforcement and addresses root causes of behavior.  

In this video, two of PRA’s criminal justice experts, LaVerne Miller and Dan Abreu, sat down to discuss reentry and recovery. Ms. Miller and Mr. Abreu review the ways in which individuals returning to the community from jails and prisons can be supported to enhance the recovery process.

Each October we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), organized by the U.S. Department of Labor. NDEAM celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and provides education about the value of a workforce inclusive of their skills and talents. In celebration of this year’s NDEAM, we are highlighting employment resources from the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center to help start conversations about working while receiving SSA disability benefits. Check out the following resources and incorporate them into your work!