L’Arche Syracuse Affiliates with AccessCNY

On Friday, L’Arche Syracuse began an affiliation with AccessCNY. The two non-profit disability providers have been partnering on services for the last several months. The agreement became effective on May 1.

L’Arche Syracuse will maintain its identity as a faith-based provider of services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Through a “Change of Auspices” affiliation structure L’Arche will benefit from AccessCNY’s administrative services and expertise in management, finance and human resources.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with AccessCNY,” said Peggy Harper, Community Leader/Executive Director of L’Arche Syracuse. “As funding and regulations for providers of services for people with disabilities has become more challenging, it became prudent for L’Arche Syracuse to find new ways to move forward. The size and scale of AccessCNY made it an ideal partner for us. L’Arche’s unique mission necessitated a unique arrangement. The Change of Auspices allows L’Arche to continue our faith and community based approach to serving individuals with disabilities, while calling on the expertise of AccessCNY.”

“L’Arche services are renowned around the world and we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with their Syracuse community,” said Paul Joslyn, Executive Director of AccessCNY. “We’ve been working with L’Arche Syracuse over the past several months to make this partnership seamless to those served by the agency, some of whom are also served by AccessCNY. Our facilities, behavioral management and quality enhancement teams have been among the first to collaborate with L’Arche. Both agencies will be stronger as a result of this partnership. AccessCNY was created from a merger and will continue to partner to meet the needs of Central New York as we create a community where all people belong.”

Harper, the Executive Director of L’Arche Syracuse will continue in her role until her retirement later this year. Given the hands-on nature of supports provided by the agencies, no staff reductions are anticipated as a result of this affiliation.

Financial support for this partnership was provided by the Central New York Community Foundation’s Strategic Partnership Fund. The Community Foundation has supported AccessCNY’s growth over the last five years through grants that have encouraged collaboration.

About AccessCNY: AccessCNY serves over 3,300 people with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health diagnoses and/or acquired brain injuries each year. The agency offers services that empower individuals to create and achieve their own success, while creating a community where all people belong. In 2015 AccessCNY was created from the merger of two agencies that served individuals with disabilities: Enable and Transitional Living Services. AccessCNY expanded again in 2018 with the merger of Spaulding Support Services. Onondaga CASA, a program that serves abused and neglected children in foster care became part of AccessCNY in 2019. For more information about AccessCNY, call (315) 455-7591 or visit: www.accesscny.org.

About L’Arche Syracuse: L’Arche Syracuse is one of 135 L’Arche communities around the world. L’Arche includes people with and without disabilities sharing life in a community of faith. Individuals community members seek to build a world that recognizes the unique value of every person and our need for one another. Locally, L’Arche operates a day habilitation program and four Syracuse homes for people with developmental disabilities where staff live as part of the household.