Services for a Meaningful Life

Community-Based Programs

When aging adults need a helping hand, they want to receive care where they feel valued and supported. Our Community-Based Programs bring much-needed services within reach. Click here to view our locations.

WHY CHOOSE SELFHELP

Community and connection to preserve overall health and well-being.
Access financial assistance, entitlements and benefits, local resources, and more.
Expertise in compassionate, trauma-informed care to meet the needs of many aging communities, including those who are immigrants, formerly homeless, non-native English speakers, homebound or isolated, and the frail elderly.
Combating social isolation through comprehensive social and health services so each person remains connected to their community

Up to 90 percent of aging adults have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. This trauma creates new challenges as they age, including the re-emergence of repressed memories.

Building upon our legacy of providing Person-Centered Trauma-Informed (PCTI) care to Holocaust survivors, we believe that each person deserves care that respects and values their own experiences and cultural traditions. With staff representing the diversity and languages of those we serve, we ensure that each person feels valued.

languages spoken by Selfhelp staff members

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Meet Ms. Lau – with her husband very ill and her worries mounting, Ms. Lau turned to Selfhelp.

“It’s very important for my social worker to speak my language and understand my culture. And Selfhelp understands how important that is.”

WE ARE HERE TO HELP

Contact our social work team!

Send us a message or call us at 212-947-8701.

Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model

(SHASAM)

We know that when all areas of health and wellness are met, aging individuals can truly live fulfilling lives. Selfhelp’s Active Services for Aging Model, which is available on-site at affordable housing residences, is a comprehensive set of health and social services to meet our residents’ aging needs. We meet residents where they live to help them on their aging journey and support them by navigating the often complicated U.S. health system.

Selfhelp’s Active Services for Aging Model is a comprehensive set of supports appropriate for different stages in the aging process and are available to residents, if and when chosen and requested, throughout their tenancy. The model grew out of Selfhelp’s eight decades of experience working with older adults.

SHASAM supports include:

A culturally competent social worker in each building
Assistance and advocacy for entitlements and benefits
Educational and recreational programming
Health and wellness programming
Physical activity
Social events (in-person and virtual)
Aging services technology; specifically access to the Virtual Senior Center in common room computers to reduce social isolation
Volunteer opportunities
Referrals to partners for home-delivered meals, home care, subsidized housekeeping, mental health, case management
and more

Addressing Social Determinants of Health

There is a growing focus on the ways “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age” affect their long-term health. Economic and social conditions – the “social determinants of health” – can make a substantial impact on the physical health of individuals.

The SHASAM model directly addresses the 5 social determinants of health that are most important for older adults:

Economic stability
Neighborhood and physical environment
Food
Community and social context

Healthy Housing: A Research Study

Selfhelp received funding from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation to conduct a retrospective, three-year evaluation of the hospitalization rates, emergency department use, and cost of care for residents of six Selfhelp buildings in Queens, New York, compared to other older adults living in the same zip codes. The data was clear about the positive impact of SHASAM:

68% lower odds of being hospitalized
A Medicaid system savings of $3,937 per resident
53% lower odds of visiting an emergency room compared to a non-Selfhelp resident
SHASAM residents with chronic diseases were 43% less likely to be hospitalized than non-residents
The cost of hospitalizations for residents with chronic diseases was half as much for SHASAM residents

Read more and download Healthy Housing: An Evaluation of Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model (SHASAM)

Selfhelp Realty Group

Selfhelp owns and operates 19 affordable apartment buildings in Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties, providing onsite support through SHASAM to over 1,800 New Yorkers. SHASAM is also provided in additional affordable senior housing residences across New York City.

Learn more: Affordable Housing in New York – Selfhelp Realty Group

A Place to Call Home for the Formerly Homeless

Selfhelp is a steadfast advocate for individuals transitioning from homelessness to stability. For almost a decade, 30% of the units in each of our new buildings are allocated for those exiting the shelter system. For the formerly unhoused, moving into a Selfhelp building signifies more than a roof over their heads—it’s the beginning of a new chapter filled with hope, security, and belonging.

Our evidenced-based model, Selfhelp Active Services for Aging Model (SHASAM) provides the case management, health services, and educational programming these residents need for a smooth integration into their new homes, so they can age with dignity.

Beyond Selfhelp’s own properties, we actively share our expertise to inspire broader change. We’ve developed and published a detailed toolkit with practical insights and proven strategies about how to successfully integrate residents moving from shelters into affordable housing. The toolkit underscores our leadership in creating innovative, inclusive housing solutions. Additionally, we extend our reach by providing tailored onsite social services in buildings developed by partner organizations, ensuring that formerly homeless residents can receive the care and support they need to thrive.

Selfhelp remains a trusted ally, showing that thinking big and acting with empathy can revolutionize how communities address homelessness.