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| www.gumamami.org |
Guma’ Mami is a 501(c)3 federally tax-exempt private non-profit organization fully qualified to provide residential services for adults with physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities including individuals with severe behavioral challenges. For thirty (30) years, Guma’ Mami has been in the forefront as a leader in the community, expanding services and supports, not only for adults with physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities, but also for individuals with mild, significant, and profound disabilities, individuals with sensory impairments, individuals with severe behavioral challenges, persons with psychiatric disabilities, and persons with acquired and other disabilities.. It was founded in June 1981 by concerned families, citizens, and professionals in the field of disabilities, who joined together to form a non-profit organization to provide supportive housing and case management services.
The primary mission of the organization is to facilitate the full inclusion and integration of adults with disabilities into their communities through individual and family support. As it stands, Guma’ Mami’s philosophy is that people with cognitive, developmental and other disabilities have abilities and competencies that can be enhanced, developed, and maximized to the greatest extent possible when given the necessary supports. This philosophy overlaps with many supported concepts in other human service-related arenas and in response to the community’s need for the expansion of services, Guma’ Mami amended its Articles of Incorporation to include cross-disability in its advocacy to include individuals with mental illnesses and children. Notwithstanding, in its thirty years of services to the community, although Guma’ Mami has served the primary population of adults with cognitive disabilities, many of the individuals within its service delivery included persons with psychiatric disabilities. In addition, in 2001 Guma’ Mami was awarded funding by the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse to support adults with serious mental illness who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless, through the Sagan Mami Drop-In Center Program. Since, the opening of the Sagan Mami Drop-In Center in October 2001, Guma’ Mami has consistently advocated for the expansion of the program. Through those advocacy efforts, adults with serious mental illness now have three additional community-based programs within Sagan Mami; Enrichment Center, Peer Supports and the Supported Employment Program.
In terms of its leadership role, not only is Guma’ Mami a direct services provider, but also a leader in the planning and development of policy reform and systems advocacy for persons with disabilities. The organization has assumed an advocacy leadership role through its representation over the years on the Guam Developmental Disabilities Council, the Statewide Independent Living Council, the Guam System for Assistive Technology Advisory Board, Guam’s Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (CEDDERS)/UAP Advisory Council, Guam State Rehabilitation Council, the Guam Humanities Council, the Public Guardian Review Board, the Guam Alliance for Mental Health, Incorporated (GAMHI), the Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI), Guam Mental Health Planning Council, the Family Violence Task Force/Consortium, the Parent Agency Networking (PAN), and the Guam Homeless Coalition (under the leadership of GHURA). With the national movement to support the individual’s recovery process, Guma’ Mami once again is leading the way locally. This is evidenced by Guma’ Mami’s advocacy for the implementation of supports to train Peer Specialist and Wellness Recovery Action Planning facilitators. In addition, in the spirit of systems of care, Guma’ Mami now has two (2) certified Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment (ANSA) tool trainers.
Additionally, Guma' Mami has professional association and lifetime membership with The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps (TASH) and is a member of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (formerly American Association on Mental Retardation). We have included in our distance network, the National Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, the Young Adult Institute (YAI), the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In the last few years we have expanded our network to include the National Association of Peer Specialists, Mental Health America, National Association of Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council, the Center for Mental Health Services, National Adult Protective Services Association, and the National Asian American Pacific Island Mental Health Association. We have created international goodwill through the adoption of a “sister” organization, Akatoki Gakuen, a similar non-profit organization in Hokkaido, Japan. In the past, Guma’ Mami has also provided technical assistance and guidance to another Japanese residential provider, Yuai No Tsubasa, and has initiated linkages with Korea-based social services networks.
Our expertise in service delivery has consistently improved over the years as training resources were accessed locally through the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, the Department of Public Health and Social Services, the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities (Divisions of Support Services and Vocational Rehabilitation), Guam’s Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service (CEDDERS)/UAP, the Guam Developmental Disabilities Council, the Protection & Advocacy (P&A) system, the Guam System for Assistive Technology, and the American Red Cross. In addition, Guma’ Mami has accessed a variety of training opportunities nationally via the Centers for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
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