OUR SERVICES

Emerging Horizons currently serves Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The services provided will be flexible to meet each individual’s unique support needs and preferences. If necessary, changes will be made to accommodate each individual support needs. The goal of Emerging Horizons Independent Living Services (EH ILS) is to teach skills that will allow our consumers to achieve their goals and maintain independence in the community. EH ILS serves consumers who have behavioral or mental health challenges and people with open probation or parole cases who have criminal backgrounds. EH ILS is also able to serve parents or single mothers.

Areas of Training and Support:

• Housing: Training and coordination in finding housing, Consumers will be assisted to either live independently or with housemate(s).
• Money Management: Training in making and living within a realistic budget.
• Nutrition: Training in nutrition, meal/menu planning.
• Cooking/Food Preparation: Training in appropriate use of household appliances, in preparing appropriate recipes and balance meals, and training in various cooking methods such as broiling, stir-frying, steaming, baking or boiling foods.
• Shopping: Instructors will teach consumers how to shop for at least a weeks worth of groceries, household items, items for personal and cleaning needs etc.
• Community Awareness & Safety: Training will focus on a consumer’s understanding of community resources available to them. The instructor will assist the consumer in accessing culturally valued and appropriate activities and services in natural environments and ensure the consumer can access and utilize information and referral sources.
• Sex Education: Education in basic sex education and appropriate social behavior, effective prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, information about AIDS prevention and HIV/STD testing.
• Laundry Procedures: Instruction in how to use a washing machine and dryer (and how to iron, and store clothes) in the appropriate setting i.e., parents home, apartment complex, or public laundromat.
• Mobility Training: Consumers will receive basic training in taking public transportation to daily living destinations such as work, grocery and personal shopping sites and recreation sites.
• Medical Self Reliance: Instruction will focus on the acquisition of skills to maintain good health.
• Household Management: Instruction in household organization and maintenance such as dish washing, cleaning refrigerator, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning bathroom fixtures, and yard work.
• Emergency Procedures & Home Safety: Instructors will teach consumers the appropriate use of 911 for police, medical, and fire assistance. Consumers will learn safe personal habits in the community and how to identify emergency situations.
• Self-Advocacy: Instructors will teach consumers how to advocate for themselves by providing support for their issues and concerns, assisting them in building skills in the following areas: anger management, conflict resolution, and appropriately asserting their rights when communicating. EH ILS program will ensure that each consumer knows and understands his or her rights with regard to generic resources they are entitled to and will help consumers get connected to opportunities available for structured advocacy activities (e.g. participation in People’s First).

Emerging Horizons staff will also assist the consumer in developing appropriate “stranger awareness” skills so he or she isn’t exploited; assist them in handling emergency situations in the community (including heeding traffic signals and discriminating between horns and sirens, using police and fire services).