Lantern Community Services takes a full-service, client-centered approach to fostering our clients’ physical and mental well-being. Our formerly homelessness clients—and the many youth we serve who spent years in the foster care system (usually as the result of neglect or abuse in their families of origin)—face numerous health challenges, including mental illness, trauma, chronic disease, addiction, and poor nutrition.

In all our buildings, onsite Health and Wellness Coordinators, in collaboration with case managers, assess each client’s health and wellness needs and, in partnership with the client, create a plan for addressing those needs. Whether a client needs smoking cessation support, treatment for chemical dependency, HIV risk reduction services, nutritional counseling, or access to primary or specialized medical care, Lantern provides the necessary linkages, services, access, and support. In addition, we employ a proven model called SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) to assist eligible residents in accessing disability income benefit programs that improve their quality of life and ensure they have the income needed to support their permanent housing costs.

Mental health is a major concern for many of our clients. Lantern’s staff are highly trained in working with individuals with mental health conditions, including those with Serious and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI). In many buildings, we use a proven approach called the Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) model to improve functioning and reduce hospitalizations among our clients living with mental illness. This method features individual and group sessions in which clients acquire skills for managing their illness and moving forward on their personal recovery goals. The University of Minnesota’s Center for Chemical and Mental Health provides our IMR training and model fidelity monitoring (learn more here).

In addition, our trauma-informed services provide support that is responsive to the complex needs of the people we serve. And, as our healthcare system undergoes major transformation, Lantern’s expert teams help residents navigate these changes to get the medical and mental health care they need.

Lantern Community Services’ extensive onsite employment and educational services foster independence, community connection, and economic self-sufficiency for the formerly homeless individuals and young people we serve.

Our employment services match our clients’ needs, interests and work histories. Our Employment and Education Specialists work with clients to promote employment as a path to an independent, stable future. These Specialists are also experts in government-provided entitlements, and counsel clients on the interface between employment and benefits. We work closely with ACCES-VR, a New York State Department of Education vocational rehabilitation program that helps individuals with disabilities achieve and maintain employment.

In several buildings, Lantern uses an evidence-based approach called Individual Placement and Support (IPS) to help clients with mental illnesses, physical disabilities, and other challenges enter or rejoin the workforce. The IPS approach prioritizes building relationships with local employers through continuous outreach. Once these relationships are established, our IPS Specialists work to connect these employers with qualified candidates in our buildings. Once a client is employed, the ISP Specialists continue to provide support to help clients adapt to and excel in the workplace. Dartmouth University provides Lantern IPS staff with training and implementation support (learn more here).

Our educational services complement these employment services to promote our clients’ long-term independence and economic security. Since clients come to Lantern with widely varying educational histories, we match our educational services to each client’s needs and personal goals.

Clients preparing for the New York State high school equivalence test (formerly known as the GED) can access Lantern’s onsite classes in the subject areas required to pass New York State’s Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC). The classes are taught by teachers from the NYC Department of Education. Lantern provides tutoring, snacks, in-class support and other incentives to help residents make the most of this resource.

We also help high school graduates enroll in college and locate funding to support their college education. For clients wishing to learn a trade, we provide referrals to vocational training organizations with which we have established linkages. Additional services include access to literacy classes and financial literacy workshops.

We also help our families secure their children’s access to educational opportunities, starting with high-quality early childhood education on through to college enrollment. We focus particularly on educational transitions of the children in our buildings by assisting families in enrolling their children in quality early childhood programs and pre-school, and then moving from grade school to middle school, high school, and beyond. Additionally, we assist families in finding enriching afterschool activities and summer camps for their children. Our family support services, cultural programs , and other activities foster family stability and nurture young people’s social, emotional, and intellectual growth.

Lantern’s educational services connect our clients with the transformative power of education and meaningful opportunities for economic self-sufficiency.

Lantern Community Services provides our low-income clients with the skills and resources they need to access, prepare, and enjoy nutritious food—a cornerstone of physical health and a good quality of life. We promote our clients’ access to healthy food on a daily basis. At several buildings, we regularly provide nutritious communal meals, which assist with food security, build community, and decrease social isolation. In partnership with Greenmarket Co., and with support from City Council Member Diane Ayala, we also provide our clients with weekly produce boxes containing an assortment of fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables. Several buildings host onsite gardening programs in which residents grow their own vegetables. With the assistance of teachers who are experts in urban gardening, our gardening programs help to build community within our buildings, beautify the spaces, and provide our clients with access to nutritious foods. Our Health and Wellness Coordinators ensure that all clients who are eligible for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits access this vital program. We participate in the NYC Department of Health’s “Health Bucks” program, so our clients can purchase fresh fruits and vegetables during our group outings to local farmers’ markets. Along with improving our clients’ food security, we make sure they have the skills to prepare affordable, healthy meals. In weekly cooking classes, residents learn about food budgeting, and prepare and enjoy nutritious meals together. Seasonal cooking workshops focus on preparing the foods in the weekly produce boxes and harvested in our beautiful onsite gardens. Referrals to nutritional counseling are offered as needed. By gardening, cooking, learning, and sharing meals together, our clients benefit from a true sense of home, health, and community.

Access to artistic, cultural, and fitness opportunities builds community among clients in our buildings, reduces social isolation, and promotes physical and emotional wellness.

As with all Lantern Community Services programs, our work in this area meets the distinctive needs of low-income families, people living with mental illness, children, and youth. Our families are enriched through field trips to New York City’s array of museums and other cultural and recreational venues. Our arts classes—led by expert instructors—incorporate therapeutic self-expression, stress reduction, and socialization skills into enjoyable activities like creative writing, digital photography, knitting, and visual art.

We promote active lifestyles in all of our buildings through yoga classes, African fusion dance, walking clubs, and other activities. In 2015, we launched full-scale Fitness Centers in two of our buildings, with more to come. Our Fitness Centers feature free weights, treadmills, stationary bicycles, and strength classes. Lantern’s onsite fitness programs give the residents in our buildings every opportunity to incorporate healthy activities into their daily routines.