About Us
   Membership
Providing
the Path to
Recovery
Our Mission

The mission of South Shore Association for Independent Living, Inc. (SAIL) is to provide rehabilitation, clinical treatment, and supportive services to the high need, seriously and persistently mentally ill adult population of Nassau County. This is provided by a variety of residential programs and by the Assertive Community Treatment Program. The focus of the treatment and support is assist consumers in their recovery by increasing their independence, choices and outcomes.

This mission is accomplished by using a process of Continuous Quality Improvement in which systems are established to enhance the delivery of services to internal and external customers by setting standards and measuring outcomes on a regular basis.

Our Philosophy

SAIL’s philosophy has always been person-centered and strength-based.  Recovery from mental illness and substance abuse is a focal point of this philosophy.  The agency bases its goal on one of recovery; hence - independence.  Its mission statement says, “The focus of the treatment and support is to increase (consumers’) independence, choices and outcomes.”  Since “choice” is such an inherent part of that process, staff are always taught to appreciate the importance of “starting where the client is” and to provide services that truly address all aspects of an individual’s life.  Part of that recovery process also includes the plan that staff encourage consumers to join peer run programs or attend monthly Consumer Council Meetings at SAIL (where program operations and community resources are discussed and evaluated by the consumers in attendance). 

Our History
1980 Parent Group forms at local mental health center to explore the need for a Community Residence.


1982 SAIL incorporates - most Board members are original participants of the Parent Support Group.


1/84 Woodmere Residence opens.


3/86 Rockville Centre Residence opens.


1987 First Intensive Supportive and Supportive apartments open.


12/87 Purchase of house in Hewlett for a Community Residence.


8/88 Hewlett Residence opens.


1990 Community Development Grants is awarded by Village of Rockville Centre, with the support of State Senator Dean Skelos. This enables SAIL to purchase and renovate the Rockville Centre Residence. It also demonstrates the support the Village gives to SAIL.


1991 Mayor of Rockville Centre helps SAIL successfully negotiate with the local civic association in Oceanside to temporarily rent two houses from South Nassau Communities Hospital, while renovating the Rockville Centre Residence.


1/92 Purchase of property in Island Park for an 11-bed Community Residence. However, the CR first opens with seven beds rather than eleven due to a legal battle over the building permit.


9/92 SAIL files a Federal Fair Housing suit and HUD discrimination complaints against the Village of Island Park for failure to issue a building permit and due to their action of administering a new law aimed at SAIL.


11/92 The Board of Directors receive a Voluntary Service Award from the Nassau County Department of Mental Health and is honored at the luncheon of an annual "Working Together Conference."


1993 Supportive Employment Program begins. It is funded solely through donations.


1/93 Village of Island Park agrees to issue a building permit for the Island Park CR. This will allow for renovations to house and support eleven residents. SAIL agrees to drop the Federal Fair Housing suit and HUD complaint.


9/93 Island Park Residence opens with eleven residents.


1993 First Supported Housing beds open. The program continues to expand through the present.


5/94 Purchased a two-family house in Inwood by using Capital Development funds from OMH. One apartment is for Supported Housing. The other apartment is for the Apartment Treatment Program.


5/95 Opened "Respite Program" which was awarded by the Nassau County Department of Mental Health. Began by renting a small house in Uniondale.


6/95 Purchased a two-family house in Baldwin by using Capital Development funds and Reinvestment funds from OMH. One apartment is for Supported Housing. The second apartment is for the Respite Program.


1996 Formal implementation of agency CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) Plan


6/96 Purchased single family home in Levittown by using Capital Development funds from OMH. The home is to be used for Supported Housing.


6/96 Accidental fire at Woodmere Residence. The house is unliveable. Residents stay at our other CR's on a temporary basis until we can find an alternate site.


7/96 SAIL voluntarily turns over the Respite Program to another agency with whom we developed the program. SAIL receives additional Supported Housing beds in its place.


8/96 Residents and staff from the Woodmere Residence move temporarily to Levittown. The use of Supported Housing for this house is temporarily put on hold.


11/96 Shelter Plus Care beds open (HUD grant for homeless mentally ill adults). This is combined with money for services using Supported Housing dollars. All twelve apartments are for single adults.


2/97 Awarded Supportive Housing grant from HUD, in collaboration with Community Housing Innovations (CHI - a housing agency for homeless adults). Apartments will be for single adults and families. Scheduled to begin Summer, 1998.


7/97 Implementation of the Apartment Treatment Program merger. (Intensive Supportive and Supportive).


1997 Awarded Enriched Supported Housing Program from the Nassau County Dept. of Mental Health. Scheduled to open Summer, 1998.


1/98 Awarded Supportive Housing grant from HUD, in collaboration with Mercy Medical Center. Apartments will be for single adults and families. Scheduled to begin Spring, 1999.


7/98 Awarded Reinvestment grant to convert Rockville Centre Residence to a Young Adult Residence for individuals 18 - 25 years of age. Conversion scheduled for Spring, 1999.


9/98 Woodmere Residence is renovated and residents return. The house has ten single bedrooms and is handicapped accessible.


1/99 Awarded HUD Supportive Housing grant for families with children, in collaboration with Central Nassau Guidance and Counseling Center. Scheduled to begin Spring, 2000.


9/99 Purchased a two-family home in Lynbrook to be used for Supported Housing and the Apartment Treatment Program.


12/99 Awarded a grant from Fleet Bank to provide additional furniture for Supported Housing.


2/00 Awarded a "refurbishment" grant from OMH to provide new furniture and minor repairs in all sites.


6/00 CHDO (Community Housing Development Organization) certification is received from New York State and Nassau County. This allows SAIL to apply for other types of federal and state grants.


6/02 Moved into new administrative office building in Baldwin with plans to purchase the building in 2003.


7/02 Awarded ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) Program. This is one of only three programs of its type in Nassau County.


2002 Awarded a second Shelter Plus Care HUD grant for 18 individuals. These beds are for consumers in the ACT Program who also need housing. Additional funds for services are granted from OMH through Supported Housing monies.


7/03 Purchased main office at 1976 Grand Avenue, Baldwin. Apartment Treatment Program staff, Supported Housing staff and Administrative staff are located in the building.


2004 Awarded a third Shelter Plus Care HUD grant for 31 people. This will be a combination of single and double bedrooms. Services are provided by funds from OMH.


2004 Development of new infrastructure of the Finance Department to accommodate all the new grants and program expansions.


2004 Upgraded the computer system within the agency with all new hardware and new software.


2005 Awarded funding that equates to twenty (20) Supported Housing beds that will be used for the services portion of the last Shelter Plus Care grant (S+C III).


2005 Begin to develop the beds for S+C III. Increased difficulties are discovered with the new rent structure from HUD (lowered for the first time, rather than increased).


5/05 Awarded $10,000 grant the Newsday McCormick Foundation to fund a part-time social worker for the Family Housing Programs in Supported Housing.


2006 Created new position of Associate Director. Director of Program Operations for the certified programs was promoted to this position.


2006 Developed additional infrastructure for the Supported Housing and HUD Programs and created positions of Senior Case Coordinators and HUD Coordinators.


6/06 Purchased property in Hewlett to replace current CR. The current property will be sold and proceeds will off-set some of the expenses of the purchase and renovations to the new property.


8/06 SAIL is recognized by OMH for its Disaster Evacuation Plan and is invited to present at a bi-county meeting.


9/06 Awarded Family Psycho-Education Grant for the ACT Team.


10/06 SAIL is awarded 5 Supported Housing beds from LIJ/North Shore which is giving up its residential programs. These are all of their Supported Housing beds.


4/07 Began demolition at Main Street, East Rockaway after a long protracted moratorium by the Village. Downstairs space will be used by the ACT Team. Supported Housing apartments are upstairs.


4/07 Awarded 60 licensed Apartment Treatment beds - transferred from LIJ/North Shore. Transition will not take effect until January 2008.


10/07 ACT Team moves from the basement of the Woodmere CR to its new office space in East Rockaway.


1/08 SAIL officially takes over the 60 Apartment Treatment beds from LIJ/North Shore.


4/08 Awarded additional Supported Housing beds from OMH.


12/08 Residents from the Hewlett CR move to the new location which has more single bedrooms and has more overall space.


2/09 SAIL has a HUD Technical Assistance meeting with outside consultants. The results to HUD were very positive.


6/09 SAIL applies for 20 more Supported Housing beds. Many of these beds will be used to transition current Apartment Treatment residents to Supported Housing by allowing them to stay in their current residence. SAIL will then locate new Apartment Treatment sites.


9/09 The agency looks toward other new funding sources. Specific staff are working on various grant applications.


1/10 Due to the expansion of the Supported Housing programs, all the programs are reorganized to help the programs operate more efficiently and effectively.


1/10 New Associate Director is promoted from within the agency. He is the former Director of Supported Housing for SAIL.