Manor shows no sign of budging

Roughly midway through the five-year period that Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave the state Office of Mental Health (OMH) to relocate mentally ill residents from institutional settings to more independent housing, one local institution, the Riverdale Manor Home on Broadway, shows no signs of budging.

Although another, more recent state initiative to move up to 225 of the home’s 256 residents is tentatively slated to begin on Wednesday, April 1, it is not clear that a contractor for the work has been selected, according to Eva Morgan, the home’s administrator and an employee of over 30 years.

“To be honest, I’m not sure if more independent housing — and less supervision — is what many of my residents need,” said Ms. Morgan, who delivered a presentation on the home and answered questions at a recent Community Board (CB) 8 meeting. She did not cite any possible alternatives to the initiative.

The state policy seeks a contractor to provide “in-reach” services at homes including Riverdale Manor to help residents determine if they are interested in moving. The contractor would then provide those residents with affordable, apartment-style housing with about two residents to each residence, Ms. Morgan said. Tenants would contribute one third of their incomes to rent and have access to mental health and other professionals on site. They would also be free to do their own cooking and cleaning — activities which are reserved for staff at Riverdale Manor.

For one resident named James, who did not want his last name published, the prospect of moving out is a welcome one. At 44, James is the youngest resident in what Ms. Morgan describes as Riverdale Manor’s “geri-psychiatric” population of 256, whose ages range from 50 to 80. Most residents are on the older end of that spectrum.

Although James has suffered damage to his nervous system that inhibits the use of his left arm and he follows a strict drug regimen to manage his mental illness, he functions at a high level. On a recent visit to the home, James cracked jokes with the staff and described his reputation as “Mr. Popular.”