A Supportive, Transitional Home for Lasting Recovery

Every person is worthy of peace and serenity

Serenity House is a nine-bedroom home in Ithaca, NY that welcomes individuals from all backgrounds recovering from substance use issues and offers long-term rehabilitation support. Providing residential care, we work with our residents on their unique goals for reintegration into the Ithaca community through supportive counseling, vocational opportunities, and connections to local resources.

  • Serves adults 18+ of any gender or identity looking for support in their recovery from substance use issues

  • Around-the-clock staff of supportive counselors

  • Assistance accessing community resources

  • A person-centered approach to recovery focused on meeting each person's unique goals, with peer support, counseling, and more

If you are interested in participating in the Serenity House program, please download our Referral Packet and application documentation, complete them, and submit your documents via the form below.

 

Admission Criteria and Intake Process

To be admitted to Serenity House, an individual must be determined to:

  1. Be homeless or have a living environment not conducive to recovery.

  2. Want to be involved in the Recovery process.

  3. Be stable in SUD, psychiatric, and medical conditions and have adequate functioning in cognitive, emotional regulation, social and role functioning.

  4. Be willing to participate voluntarily in the residential program.

  5. Be at least 18 years of age.

  6. Live in New York State.

If you are interested in participating in the Serenity House program, please download our Referral Packet and application documentation, complete them, and submit your documents via the form below.

  • LOCADTR tool completed within the last 30 days

  • A medical history and physical done within the last 12 months along with medical clearance for communicable diseases if applicable

  • PPD results, positive PPD results need to have medical clearance to attend Serenity House

  • A copy of ID, benefits card, and health insurance card

  • Documentation to verify active food stamps and/or cash assistance case with Department of Social Services

*If a SUD diagnosis is not provided for the applicant, the Serenity House Clinical Director will need to assess that there is a substance use disorder, and that the applicant is in need of this level of care.

The screening will include completion of the LOCADTR tool and Risk Assessment for Serious Transmissible Infections if one has not already been completed. These assessments will be followed by strengths-based questions regarding the individual’s support needs, and an overview of the resident handbook.  The resident handbook includes the Serenity House rules and regulations, resident rights, resident responsibilities, and Federal confidentiality requirements. A copy of this handbook will be provided to the individual, and they will sign a statement attesting that they discussed the rules with program staff and understood them.

If the individual is still interested in the program, staff will provide a tour of the house, and the applicant will sign the program agreement. The individual will also sign an attestation to their understanding that admission is on a voluntary basis and that the resident is free to discharge themselves from the service at any time.

Following the tour, staff will work with the individual to schedule a move-in date. Move-in can happen on the same day as screening as timing, staffing, and room availability permits.

Individuals interested in the Serenity House program will complete and submit an application for the program. The application includes information such as diagnosis, priority admission status, funding, medical information, legal status, trauma history, military status, medication listing, MAT status, infectious disease screening, family background, program preferences and expectations.

After receiving an application, clinical staff will schedule a screening with the applicant to assess their appropriateness for the program. During this time, applicants should also send the following materials if available:

  • A copy of applicant’s psycho-social assessment including diagnosis of a substance use disorder*

 

Contact Information

General email,
regularly monitored:
Serenityny@sjcs.org

Program Director (operations):
Simone Gatson, they/them, Director of Homeless and Housing Services, Sgatson@sjcs.org

State Director (oversight):
Brian Coleman, he/him, SJCS-NY Director, bcoleman@sjcs.org

Clinical Director (intakes, discharge, treatment planning):
Eleni Evans, she/her,
Clinical Director, Eevans@sjcs.org

Staff office phone:
607-391-0020

Staff cannot confirm or deny if a resident is living at Serenity House without a signed release

 

FAQs

    • Our residential site is located in downtown Ithaca. The address itself is confidential to protect the privacy of our Residents and is shared on a need-to-know basis with interested applicants.

    • Serenity House is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by Residential Counselors.

    • Residential Counselors offer supportive counseling in alignment with the Resident’s comprehensive service plan.

    • Residential Counselors offer warm connections to community resources.

    • Residential Counselors offer support in developing life skills and self-sufficiency based on self-identified Resident goals.

    • Residential Counselors facilitate a group for Residents to build peer support once per day.

    • Residents are assigned a primary Residential Counselor who is responsible for coordinating support for the self-identified goals from the Resident’s comprehensive service plan over the course of their stay.

    • The program is currently certified to support nine residents.

    • Please complete the referral packet available on our website. Self-referrals are accepted but may take more time to meet admission criteria if not currently connected with a treatment provider.

    • No, anyone living in New York State is welcome to apply.

    • No. Supporting homeless and housing insecure individuals in their recovery journey is a priority for our community re-integration program. We encourage individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity to apply.

    • LOCADTR stands for Level of Care for Alcohol and Drug Treatment Referral. It's a web-based tool that helps determine the best level of care for people with substance use disorders or gambling disorders. Our clinical staff will use the results of this tool to determine if our program can provide the appropriate level of supports for the current stage of your recovery journey. We will help to connect you to other community resources if the results indicate that another level of care is more appropriate.

    • While we support Residents in continuing or accessing Medications for Opioid Use Disorder and utilize harm reduction practices on-site, Serenity House is a sober, substance-free residential program and cannot admit individuals who are currently abusing substances or using substances not prescribed by a doctor. We are happy to provide connections to other community resources for interested individuals.

    • No. Serenity House offers single rooms to single adults in recovery.

    • No. Pets are not permitted at Serenity House. Residents with disabilities are permitted to have Service Animals live with them at Serenity House in accordance with Fair Housing Law. Residents must provide written verification that a disability exists and that a service animal is necessary.

    • Residents can live at Serenity House for up to nine to twelve months.