AccessCNY Relocates Mental Health Programs

In the coming weeks AccessCNY will relocate a majority of the agency’s mental health services from Syracuse offices on Genesee Street to Syracuse offices on Court Street. The agency will continue to provide the community with the same mental health services it has for decades, just at a different location.

AccessCNY’s Berkana Crisis Peer Respite, which reopened last month, continues to serve those in mental health crisis from its Eastwood location. Unique Peerspectives, the agency’s mental health drop in center continues to operate on South Salina Street across from the Centro Transit Hub.

AccessCNY mental health services are almost exclusively delivered in the community. From employment services to residential services, those in mental health recovery are supported by agency staff that work alongside them across Central New York.

“Like many organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic moved most AccessCNY employees from working in the office to working remotely,” said Paul Joslyn, Executive Director of AccessCNY. “This shift showed that our staff could be successful working outside of a traditional office. With more staff working remotely, both in our mental health programs and across the agency, it meant we had more office space than we need. As we evaluated the footprint of our offices, it became clear that relocating and selling our Genesee Street location was the most logical choice.”

Marla Byrnes, is the President of the Syracuse affiliate of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), “For decades, AccessCNY and NAMI Syracuse have partnered to improve the lives of those in our community with a mental health diagnosis through outreach, education, and collaboration. Robust, accessible and well-funded mental health services are paramount to moving someone from recovery to their unique level of success, no matter where those services are provided. NAMI Syracuse looks forward to continuing to work with AccessCNY to create a community where all people belong.”

A primary consideration when relocating any service is access to transportation. Moving mental health services to the agency’s Court Street location ensures that those who need to visit AccessCNY offices have the ability to do so through public transportation.

The relocation of mental health services is expected to take several weeks and be completed by the end of November.