Southern Tier Independence Center

What Southern Tier Independence Center does

Southern Tier Independence Center (STIC) is a private nonprofit Center for Independent Living (CIL) founded in 1983 in Binghamton, New York, providing a broad portfolio of disability services and supports across six counties in New York's Southern Tier region. STIC serves children and adults with all types of disabilities, Medicaid enrollees, families and caregivers, and institutional partners including schools, businesses, and government agencies. Core service lines include advocacy, behavior and counseling, community-based services, community transition, education, health insurance/Medicaid enrollment, housing, independent living skills training, information and referral, interpreter services, and assistive technology lending through the TRAID Loan Closet program.

STIC is also an approved facilitator for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), partnered with Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL) as the statewide Fiscal Intermediary, and operates a Social Care Network (SCN) program in which Social Care Navigators conduct Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) screenings for Medicaid members and link them to nutrition, housing, transportation, and behavioral health resources. The organization runs ancillary community programs including an accessible food pantry, Xscapes escape rooms for fundraising and recreation, FACE Center training events for educators and parents, and NY Connects information and assistance.

STIC's business model is grant- and government-services based. The organization started with a single $100,000 grant from the New York State Education Department in 1983 and now draws on 30 distinct funding sources, primarily government grants and Medicaid billable services. The organization employs over 200 people across a main office in Binghamton and satellite offices in Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Tioga, and Tompkins counties, with services delivered at no charge to end users. STIC's technology footprint is minimal: no proprietary platform, no public or partner-facing API, and an Odoo-based website with a live inventory system for assistive technology loans. Leadership includes Executive Director Jennifer Watson, Assistant Director Lucretia Hesco, Director of Operations Chad Eldred, and Director of HR Casey Flanagan, with governance provided by a board of directors.

Name

Southern Tier Independence Center

Legal name

Southern Tier Independence Center

Website

https://stic-cil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Southern Tier Independence Center is a Binghamton, NY-based nonprofit Center for Independent Living serving individuals with disabilities and Medicaid enrollees across six New York counties through advocacy, housing, counseling, CDPAP, assistive technology, and Social Care Network services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability and Independent Living Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Community Food Services (62421), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG), Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

Keywords

• Independent living services
• Disability advocacy
• Community based services
• Assistive technology loans
• Personal assistance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Binghamton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: Originally established in 1983 with a single grant through the State Education Department for $100,000. Now diversified to 30 different funding sources, indicating multiple government grants and program funding.
2. Medicaid Services: STIC participates in the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) partnered with Public Partnerships, LLC as the statewide Fiscal Intermediary, and operates a Social Care Network serving Medicaid members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Southern Tier Independence Center (STIC) is a nonprofit Center for Independent Living that delivers a portfolio of disability services across six New York State counties, including advocacy, behavioral counseling, community transition support, housing assistance, independent living skills training, interpreter services, and assistive technology lending. The organization is also an approved facilitator for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), operating a Social Care Network that connects Medicaid recipients to community resources addressing social determinants of health.

Product overview

Southern Tier Independence Center (STIC) is a Center for Independent Living (CIL) that offers a comprehensive portfolio of disability services organized around enabling independence and community integration. The core services include CDPAP (Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program), advocacy, behavior and counseling services, community-based services, community transition services, education, health insurance enrollment, housing, independent living skills, information and referral, interpreter services, and assistive technology through the TRAID Loan Closet program. STIC also operates a Social Care Network (SCN) connecting Medicaid recipients to community resources addressing social determinants of health. Additional programs include Xscapes escape rooms for recreational and team-building purposes, a food pantry, FACE Center training events, and a sensory room. The organization serves Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Tioga, Tompkins, and Otsego counties in New York State with a main office in Binghamton.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Xscapes at STIC: An interactive adventure with 5 escape rooms offering recreational fun, birthday parties, and team-building events
• AccessAbility Newsletter
• FACE Center Events
• Social Care Network (SCN)

Products and services

• Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP)

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTIC is an approved facilitator for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) partnered with Public Partnerships LLC (PPL), the statewide Fiscal Intermediary. PPL provides guidance, assistance and ongoing support for CDPAP services. STIC provides resources, forms and information for consumers navigating the PPL system.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Concepts of Independence: Concepts of Independence is a New York City-based CIL that provides independent living services, advocacy, and housing support to people with disabilities. It is a direct peer because it operates the same federally-funded CIL service model (IL skills, advocacy, transition) that STIC delivers in its Southern Tier catchment.
• Center for Disability Rights: Center for Disability Rights is a Rochester, NY-based CIL that provides independent living services, advocacy, and consumer-directed personal assistance. It is a direct peer because it is a New York State CIL operating a nearly identical mix of disability services, including personal-assistance programs comparable to STIC's CDPAP facilitator role.
• Independence Care System: Independence Care System is a New York City-based CIL serving adults with physical disabilities and chronic conditions through independent living, care management, and home care services. It is a direct peer because it delivers the same CIL model — IL skills, advocacy, transition, and disability home care — that STIC offers, but in the downstate NY market.
• ARISE: ARISE is a Syracuse, NY-based Center for Independent Living (CIL) providing disability advocacy, independent living, and home and community-based services across central New York. It is a direct peer because it operates the same CIL service model with comparable programs (advocacy, IL skills, transition, benefits counseling) to STIC in an adjacent upstate NY region.
• AccessCNY: AccessCNY is a Syracuse-based CIL and human services agency providing independent living, case management, behavioral health, and community-based disability services. It is a direct peer because its core programs (CIL services, advocacy, home and community-based supports) mirror STIC's portfolio and it serves a similar upstate NY catchment.

Others

• Public Partnerships LLC (PPL): PPL is the statewide Fiscal Intermediary for New York's CDPAP program and STIC's formal partner. It is included as 'Others' rather than a direct peer because it does not compete with STIC — instead it sits upstream in the same value chain, processing payroll and benefits for personal assistants — but the two organizations' economic fortunes are tightly linked through the CDPAP facilitator role.

Broad incumbents

• Easterseals: Easterseals is a national nonprofit disability services network providing independent living, employment, assistive technology, and home and community-based services. It is a broad incumbent because it offers a comparable portfolio of disability services to STIC but at a national footprint and as part of a broader set of programs (employment, camps, medical rehabilitation).
• The Arc New York: The Arc New York is a statewide federation of chapters providing services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including residential, day, and community-based supports. It is a broad incumbent because it competes for similar HCBS and OPWDD funding pools as STIC while operating at a much larger scale and broader service scope.
• Young Adult Institute (YAI): YAI is one of New York's largest nonprofit disability services organizations, providing residential, day, clinical, and home and community-based services across the state. It is a broad incumbent because, while it operates in many of the same service categories as STIC (residential, HCBS, advocacy), it serves intellectual/developmental disabilities at far greater scale and across a much broader geography.

Emerging players

• Help at Home: Help at Home is one of the largest U.S. personal-care and home-care providers and a major participant in New York's CDPAP ecosystem. It is an emerging player relative to STIC because it competes for the same consumer-directed personal-assistance market STIC accesses as a CDPAP facilitator, but at vastly larger scale and with greater operational and technology infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sticcil
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthernTierIndependenceCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-tier-independence-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Southern Tier Independence Center