Community Based Services Awarded $50,000 Grant

Community Based Services (CBS), a nonprofit organization providing the highest level of individualized care for people with developmental disabilities and autism through residential and community-based programs, has been awarded a $50,000 grant from Westchester County. The grant will revolutionize the comprehensive training program that will prepare a new workforce of approximately 180 people for a career in disability care. The grant fulfills a crucial post-pandemic need to train an incoming workforce, many who are new to disability care. Each employee will receive nearly 50 hours of online and in-person training to adequately provide care to the fragile and dependent children and adults supported by CBS.

“We are so very grateful for the county’s generosity under Erika Pierce. The funding for this training will have a direct impact on the quality of care that CBS staff will expertly and compassionately implement,” says Chief Executive Officer Vicki Sylvester.

The grant has come at a crucial time. More families than ever are requesting the help of CBS throughout Westchester County. Our most vulnerable neighbors are desperately in need of quality life-sustaining support. The training program ensures that new direct care staff will be prepared to the highest standard and safely meet those needs.

On Friday, July 8, Westchester County Executive Erika Pierce visited the Good Reasons dog treat company, a CBS enterprise that employs an integrated workforce, to present the grant.

It is the mission of CBS to provide people with autism and other developmental disabilities the best possible quality of life through residential and community-based opportunities.  Our strong, compassionate culture demands that all decisions be made with each person’s involvement and in his or her best interests. This is ensured through a person-centered approach that delivers services and supports based on the specific interests, abilities, and changing needs of each person.