Capital Area Peer Services

CAPS is a peer-run agency that serves adults in the capital region of New York who are recovering from mental illnesses, and uses the unique power of peer services to enhance recovery and self-empowerment.

Drop-In Center

The Vince Pagano Consumer Drop-In Center (CDIC) is a welcoming, warm, dry safe place to be that's open when other programs are closed. CDIC hours are 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Monday through Friday (breakfast at 9 and lunch at 11:30) and 11:30 am - 4:00 pm Saturday, Sunday and Holidays (lunch at 11:30). The hours are the same for special holidays! The CDIC is closed during the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr’s Birthday, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth Day(19) of June, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Election Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, and the Friday after and Christmas Day!

Hot lunch served
Sit quietly, nap, read, watch TV, movies
Social opportunities: games, conversation, parties
Community speakers
Music room
Self-help and peer support groups
Benefits counseling

Exercise room
Arts & Crafts, Writing Group
Clothing and household goods bank
Weekly meetings with members and staff to discuss involvement in the club
Bingo every 2nd Wednesday of the month (1:00 pm)
Karaoke every 3rd Friday of the month (1:00 pm)
General Social Groups every Monday or Friday (1:00 pm)

First Timer at CDIC? (click here)

Sometimes, going to a new place for the first time can create anxiety. We are acutely aware of that here CDIC. Our staff has a “no pressure” approach to assisting potential new members in filling out our short application. It usually takes less than 10 minutes.

All you need to do is to ask a staff member (who will greet you at the door as a part of our normal check-in policy) how to become a member. The staff member will ask you to have a seat and provide you with a short application. The staff member will fill it out for you. You will be asked where you receive your mental health services. You must be receiving them in Albany County as that is where our funding comes from. You may be asked to verify this by obtaining a business or appointment card from your care manager or clinician.

You will be asked to sign an understanding of our grievance policy as well as a few simple rules regarding expectations of conduct while in our Drop-In Center.

Once that has been completed you will be given a tour of our facility and asked to feel at home.

CARELine

Our CARELine (518-427-5056 x115) is a confidential non-crisis peer-run "warmline" telephone service that anyone can call when they need support. Trained peers will listen with an empathetic ear and promoting problem solving by assisting callers to find their own solutions and various options available to them. When requested, informational referrals to basic services and/or self-help groups may be suggested.

The CARELine believes in the therapeutic value of one peer helping another. Everyone is entitled to a supportive, non-judgemental listener when they need support. A peer who has been through similar feelings and experiences can be that supportive listener. Therefore, the CARELine provides a safe, comfortable place for consumers of mental health services to confide in other consumers in a mutually supporting manner, greatly reducing the need for traditional crisis services and hospital recidivism.

Call the CARELine when

You want to talk to someone confidentially.
You want to share a positive experience with a peer.
You are feeling discouraged and lonely.

You need to talk through a decision you are trying to make.
You need referrals to other community or self-help programs.
Your friends and family members do not understand.

The CARELine is available every day from 5 PM to 1 AM.

Peer Systems Advocacy

Peer Support activities include attending meetings with Albany County Dept. of Mental Health for different purposes. There are regular meetings which involve high need individuals in the community who could use some assistance. Support is provided through encouragement to attend the Drop-In Center. If housing is an issue, we refer individuals to Coordinated Entry through CARES. We refer individuals to the 100 Clinton Ave. residence, if there is an opening or individuals want to be placed on the waitlist. There are also provider planning meetings that occur regularly where we discuss a direction forward to provide better coordination of resources for better outcomes for our members and/or residents at 100 Clinton Ave. Outreach to housing providers is done periodically to remind them that we are here for their residents at the Drop-In Center and to remind them of our in house advocates and what they can provide in the way of assistance and support.

Peer to Peer Advocacy

Our Peer to Peer Advocacy program serves inpatients at Capital District Psychiatric Center (CDPC). Trained peer advocates meet with patients and help them work through problems they may have with their treatment team or treatment plan. They support patients in their efforts at self-advocacy and provide supports for the transition from the hospital into the community. They are also available to assist with on-line job research, applications, setting up and using emails.

Community Residence

Our Community Residence houses up to nine (9) male individuals who are representative of the neighborhood surrounding it and who are often unable to find housing elsewhere. The three floors house three individuals each. Each floor has a kitchen. This program is a safety net for those who might otherwise feel more unstable in shelters or other more expensive alternatives. Our program serves persons other organizations can't and requires a significant level of staffing.

Residents can stay as long as they need. Here they find safe, supportive housing, medication monitoring, payees for those who have difficulty managing their own money, connections to other appropriate services, and opportunities to build personal and community skills.