Community Support Advocates
"Partnering with persons with disabilities to guarantee opportunities and choices for success."
CSA Member Organizations
Community Support Advocates (CSA) is a cooperative effort of Mainstream Living, Progress Industries, and The Homestead.
Our Purpose
CSA was formed to assist persons with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, or other developmental disabilities in gaining access to appropriate housing, needed medical services, and interrelated social, vocational, and educational services.
Consumer Choice
These services are driven by consumer choice, with a focus on individualized community services and supports, and maximum community integration.
Community Support Advocates Implements Positive Behavior Supports
Community Support Advocates has been part of the Polk County Positive Behavior Support Network since its beginning, 5 years ago. Positive Behavior Supports is both a philosophy and a set of tools that assist individuals in improving their lives and decreasing behaviors that are not working for them. Positive Behavior Supports teaches that we all behave in both good and bad ways, and that all behavior is communication. In 2008, CSA implemented the use of Positive Behavior Supports, Universal Enhancements, and Strengths Based Approach within their Knowledge Empowers Youth Program. From this, the KEY program has assisted youth in identifying behaviors that are not working for them, and understanding and utilizing new ways to communicate and behave that has better results in their lives. In 2008, the KEY program saw an increase in the number of youth who report feeling in control of their own lives, as well as a decrease in the youths Homeless Days, Psychiatric Hospitalizations, and Incarceration.
In October, 2009, Community Support Advocates began utilizing Positive Behavior Supports within its Integrated Services Program. CSA plans to integrate these concepts within the other programs within CSA by June, 2011.
CSA KEY Program Wins Award
On September 19, 2007, Community Support Advocates, Knowledge Empowers Youth (KEY) Program was awarded the 2007 IACP Excellence Award for Innovation and Quality. The Iowa Association of Community Providers (IACP) is a statewide organization for Community Providers of Disability Services in Iowa. The award was given to the KEY Program in recognition for being a high quality innovative program that enhances the quality of life for persons with disabilities and/or mental illness.
The CSA KEY program was started in January, 2006. It is designed to provide wrap around services and supports to young adults, age 17½ to age 25, who have a chronic mental illness. The KEY program targets youth who are transitioning from the DHS system, who need ongoing supports after they age out of the youth system.
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