Citizen Advocates

What Citizen Advocates does

Citizen Advocates, Inc. is a nonprofit behavioral health and addiction services provider founded in 1975 and headquartered in Malone, New York, operating across a seven-county region of Upstate New York through six CARF-accredited Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC), including three 24/7 Behavioral Health Campuses in Malone, Ogdensburg, and Watertown, plus outpatient clinics in Massena and Saranac Lake. Its service portfolio spans mental health (individual, group, and family psychotherapy, psychiatric services, EMDR/CPT trauma treatment, medication management, and crisis intervention), addiction recovery (outpatient counseling, medication-assisted treatment with Suboxone/Vivitrol/Buprenorphine, gambling recovery, impaired-driving remediation, and 24/7 crisis care), intellectual and developmental disabilities services, youth and school-based counseling, supportive housing, peer support, harm reduction, and tele-mental health delivered over a conventional healthcare-IT stack comprising an EHR, a patient portal, telehealth infrastructure, and integrated behavioral health information systems.

The organization's revenue model blends fee-for-service billing to Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP on a sliding fee scale, with New York State agency funding from OMH, OASAS, and OPWDD under managed-services contracts, supplemented by grants (including $4M in 2022 and $7.4M in 2023 from NY State) and supportive housing service revenue administered through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative. Distribution is direct and place-based rather than sales-led in a commercial sense: services are delivered in-person across the rural county footprint, via telehealth, in 22 schools, through a 24/7 crisis hotline and mobile response, and through 24/7 harm-reduction vending machines in partnership with Alliance for Positive Health, Adirondack Health Institute, and the MATTERS Network.

The corporate structure includes a management services agreement with St. Joseph's Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers (jointly CARF-accredited), an affiliated philanthropic arm (Fieldstone Foundation) supporting community programs such as a 500-child Backpack Program, and a wholly-owned affirmative business (Clean Sweep) providing commercial cleaning services. Leadership is headed by President & CEO James Button (appointed in 2025 to the NY State Behavioral Health Services Advisory Council), with a clinical and operational leadership team including Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joshua Frank and senior compliance and infrastructure officers.

Name

Citizen Advocates

Legal name

Citizen Advocates, Inc.

Website

https://citizenadvocates.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Citizen Advocates is a nonprofit behavioral health and addiction services provider founded in 1975, operating six CARF-accredited community behavioral health clinics, three 24/7 campuses, school-based programs, and supportive housing across a seven-county region of Upstate New York.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (62322), Individual and Family Services (6241), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL), Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO), Community-Based Preventive & Health Promotion Clinics (HLAFAGAO), Behavioral Health & Substance Use Public Health Programs (BPAIAJAK)

Keywords

• Behavioral health services
• Addiction recovery treatment
• Mental health counseling
• Developmental disability services
• Community mental health

Headquarters

HQ city

Malone

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Healthcare Services Revenue: Fee-for-service revenue from providing mental health, addiction recovery, and disability services billed to insurance (Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP) and individuals on a sliding fee scale
2. Government Contracts & Grants: Funding from New York State agencies including Office of Mental Health (OMH), Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), and Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD)
3. Supportive Housing Services: On-site support services for supportive housing units funded through Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative and administered by NYS Office of Mental Health

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Citizen Advocates is a nonprofit behavioral health provider delivering integrated mental health, addiction recovery, intellectual and developmental disabilities, youth, and community housing services across a seven-county region of Upstate New York. Services are delivered via outpatient clinics, three 24/7 Behavioral Health Campuses, telehealth, school-based counseling, a 24/7 crisis hotline, mobile response, and harm reduction vending machines. The network also operates Clean Sweep, a commercial cleaning affirmative business, and is affiliated with St. Joseph's Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers and the Fieldstone Foundation.

Product overview

Citizen Advocates is a nonprofit behavioral health services provider operating as a unified service network rather than a traditional product company. The core portfolio spans mental health services (individual/group/family psychotherapy, EMDR, cognitive processing therapy, telehealth), addiction recovery (medication-assisted treatment, substance use disorder treatment, gambling recovery), intellectual and developmental disabilities services, youth services, and community housing. Key facilities include three 24/7 Behavioral Health Campuses in Ogdensburg, Malone, and Watertown, plus outpatient clinics in Malone, Massena, and Saranac Lake. The organization also operates Clean Sweep (commercial cleaning business) and is affiliated with Fieldstone Foundation and St. Joseph's Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers. Services are supported by 24/7 crisis hotline, peer support specialists, harm reduction vending machines, and school-based counseling programs. Citizen Advocates achieved CARF accreditation for its CCBHC clinics in November 2025, becoming the only provider in Upstate New York with this designation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clean Sweep: A full-service commercial cleaning company operated by Citizen Advocates for more than four decades, providing professional facility cleaning with meaningful employment opportunities.

Products and services

• Mental Health Services
• Addiction Recovery Services
• Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Services
• Youth Services
• Community Housing & Living
• Behavioral Health Campuses
• Clean Sweep

Quantifiable outcome

• CARF accreditation achieved for all six CCBHC clinics - first in agency history
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• St. Joseph's Addiction Treatment & Recovery CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Partner agency under a management services agreement. St. Joseph's has maintained CARF accreditation since 2002 and played a vital role in guiding Citizen Advocates through its own CARF accreditation process. Both agencies share governance structures and collaborated on joint accreditation, aligning policies and practices across the network.
• 3d Development Group, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2022Co-developer of the $22 million Harison Place mixed-use development project in Malone, NY. Partnership to create 40 affordable apartments with supportive housing services.
• Local Restaurants and Businesses (Taste of Malone)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Participating restaurants and businesses that donate 20% of revenue to the Backpack Program during annual Taste of Malone fundraiser event. Included Bokie's Drive-In, Donovan's Steak & Ale, The Malone Elks Lodge, and 9 other local establishments.
• Alliance for Positive HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in harm reduction initiative to install harm reduction vending machines at Citizen Advocates locations, providing Narcan kits, test strips, and hygiene items.
• Adirondack Health InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in harm reduction initiative to install harm reduction vending machines at Citizen Advocates locations.
• MATTERS NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in harm reduction initiative to install harm reduction vending machines at Citizen Advocates locations.
• Fieldstone FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated philanthropic foundation supporting Citizen Advocates' mission. The Foundation runs the Backpack Program and Meals with Meaning fundraiser, which were identified as organizational strengths in CARF's survey report. Also supports initiatives like Taste of Malone fundraiser.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Family & Children's Association: New York nonprofit providing behavioral health, addiction and family social services; comparable mission-driven, multi-program, public-payer-funded model but serves a different (downstate Long Island) region.
• The Mental Health Association of Nassau County: Nonprofit community behavioral-health provider offering counseling, crisis and recovery services in NY; closely comparable service mix but different geography.
• Family Service League: NY nonprofit offering behavioral health, crisis, housing and social-assistance programs; comparable integrated community-support model in a different NY region.
• ICL (Institute for Community Living): NY nonprofit integrating behavioral health, supportive housing and crisis services; very similar program portfolio but concentrated in NYC.

Direct peers

• Hillside Family of Agencies: Upstate NY nonprofit network delivering youth/family behavioral health, mental health and supportive services; directly comparable integrated, NYS-funded behavioral-health model in the same state.
• St. Joseph's Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers: Affiliated northern NY addiction treatment provider sharing governance and joint CARF accreditation; offers overlapping inpatient/outpatient addiction services in the same territory.
• BestSelf Behavioral Health: Western New York nonprofit CCBHC delivering integrated mental health, addiction and youth services; near-identical CCBHC model and payer base in another NY region.
• Northern Rivers Family of Services: Upstate/Capital Region NY nonprofit network providing behavioral health, youth and family services across multiple counties; comparable regional integrated model and funding sources.
• Crouse Health / Helio Health: Central NY nonprofit providing addiction treatment, mental health and supportive housing; closely overlapping behavioral-health and recovery services within New York.

Broad incumbents

• The Mental Health Center (CCBHC providers like Centerstone): Large multi-state nonprofit behavioral-health and CCBHC operator with mental health, addiction and crisis services; same category at far greater scale and geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/user141200018
• Facebookfacebook.com/CitizenAdvocatesInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizens-advocates
• Instagraminstagram.com/citizenadvocatesinc
• Xx.com/CitzenAdvocates

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Citizen Advocates