The New Equinox Community Services Center The Equinox Community Services Center houses integrated non-residential services designed to assist i ndividuals and families who fall through the cracks in the traditional service system. Equinox
offers a full continuum of services from outreach and prevention through crisis intervention, treatment, follow-up, and finally, reintegration into the community. The Community
Service Center houses these programs:
Youth Services
- Youth Shelter,
emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth. (Click here for more information.)
- Outreach Center for Youth
, providing HIV/AIDS and drug abuse education, housing referrals to prevent
homelessness, technology and employment skills training, tutoring, and activities.
- Street Outreach Program
, targeting youth living on the streets, providing free medical services,
emergency food, information and referral, with the aim of preventing behavior that leads to crisis.
- Independent Living Program
, supervised apartment living for older homeless youth, ages 16-21, to
encourage them to become self-supporting, contributing members of our community. (Click here for more information.)
Project Independence
, offering follow-up for graduates of our Independent Living Program to support reintegration into the community.
Youth Shelter (continued)
Equinox has been operating a small Youth Shelter serving runaway, abused, and homeless youth since 1975. No
other local agency provides emergency housing to youth age 15 and younger, and ours is the only shelter that
will take kids right "off the street." Young people from the Capital Region find safety, shelter, food, and a
professional, caring staff to help them through the crisis of homelessness. The shelter serves up to 18 youths in a
cheerful, homelike atmosphere. A suite arrangement of rooms increases our capacity to house boys and girls and
makes staff supervision easier. There is space for group activities, trust and confidence building exercises and the
life skills training these youths so desperately need. There is also private space for crisis intervention. Counseling Services
for individuals of all ages, couples and families, specializing in issues related to substance abuse
Specialized services for lesbian/gay, bisexual, transgender community
New services will include acupuncture, meditation, and anger and stress management.
Trauma recovery counseling
Counseling Center provides child care, transportation stipends and family counseling.
Independent Living Apartments (continued) Adjacent to the Youth Shelter is a building housing four Independent
Living Apartments for older homeless youths, ages 16 to 21, who need closer supervision, enhancing the work we do at our other eight
apartment sites. These young people will have easy access to the counseling and group sessions at the shelter next door as well as the
experience of supervised apartment living to help them transition to life on their own.
Domestic Violence Services
Empowering Women to Strengthen our Community
for victims of domestic violence and their children. (Click here for more information.)
Domestic Violence Outreach Services, providing counseling, advocacy, and support groups for male and
female victims of domestic violence and their children. We have extended these services to elderly, disabled, and non-English speaking populations. (Click here for more information.)
Project Break-Free, assisting victims of domestic violence transition from Equinox's emergency shelter
as they overcome the economic barriers to living independently – free from their abusers. (Click here for more information.)
24-hour Hotline, which receives more than 2,000 calls annually from victims, their concerned friends, loved ones and relatives..
Medical Exam Night
- A safe and non-threatening way for people who have been disenfranchised to enter the medical system for needed services.
- A collaboration of Albany Medical College volunteer medical students and physicians and some key Equinox staff.
- This service is offered free of charge to clients in all Equinox programs.
Adventure Based Program
- A supervised high-ropes course and climbing wall used for client treatment in all Equinox programs.
- This unique treatment modality builds confidence, trust and teamwork skills that are essential to successful living for our clients.
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