Mentally ill, homeless get $400G grant

A Smithtown-based organization that provides housing for mentally ill and homeless residents has been awarded a $414,720 state grant.

In a news release, Options for Community Living said it will use the grant to assist adults with psychiatric disabilities in the group’s supportive housing program. The grant was awarded by the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

The grant “will provide financial support for Options case managers who provide direct care services and teach daily living skills to residents with mental illness in our long-term supportive housing program,” Options for Community Living executive director Diana Antos Arens said in a statement.

Options for Community Living serves 192 people who live in 64 homes throughout Suffolk County. Case managers visit the homes to assess residents’ health needs and teach skills such as cooking and budgeting so clients can live independently.

Founded in 1982, Options for Community Living says it is Long Island’s largest provider of case management and affordable housing for people with HIV and AIDS.

Earlier this year, the organization got almost $3.2 million  from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department to buy and fix up five group homes.