Company Profile
Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ)
Company Overview
Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey, Inc. (CSPNJ) is a peer led not-for-profit organization. CSPNJ provides flexible community-based services that promote responsibility, recovery and wellness through the provision of community wellness centers, supportive and respite housing, human rights advocacy, and educational and innovative programs.
Values //
• Relationships as the means for growth and connection
• People's potential and their ability to grow and change
• Self-sufficiency through interdependence
• The dignity and diversity of each individual
• Choices and the responsibility of choices
• Inclusive communities that promote a sense of belonging
• Innovation as a challenge to the status quo
Company History
(CSPNJ) is a not-for-profit, consumer-operated statewide mental health agency that was incorporated in 1984. Since the mid-1980’s CSPNJ has established itself as a respected innovator of housing, Community Wellness Centers, employment, and economic development services that promote the wellness and recovery of people with the lived experience of mental health conditions. The organization grew from three drop-in centers to a statewide organization that is now a nationally recognized leader in the design and delivery of wellness and recovery-oriented services that offer opportunities for people to live, learn, and work in the community of their choice. Our motto is: “Our greatest resource is the life experiences of persons working through their own recovery.” This continues to be a core component of the agency mission, vision, and values.
Throughout our history we created services in response to the needs of people with the lived experience of mental health conditions and who also have extremely low incomes. Initially we attempted to address isolation and transcend the “patient role” by developing and operating drop-in centers as well as creating a statewide advocacy initiative. We organized statewide educational forums and participated in the national Alternatives Conference to network and learn about other innovative, recovery-fostering alternatives from peers throughout the country. Through active participation in these educational forums we were able to design an innovative housing and support model that addresses the poverty and inadequate living conditions that impede recovery and well-being. By 1989 we had opened the first peer-run house in Asbury Park. We now provide safe and decent affordable housing for more than 750 persons in New Jersey.