association for community living

What association for community living does

The Association for Community Living (ACL) is a 501(c)(3) New York statewide membership organization founded in 1979 and headquartered in Clifton Park, NY. It represents more than 100 not-for-profit member agencies that deliver housing and rehabilitation services to 48,000-50,000+ individuals diagnosed with serious and persistent psychiatric disabilities across the state. ACL is governed by a Board of Directors composed of executives drawn from its member agencies and operates with a lean staff of 9-10 employees organized into five regional chapters that mirror NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) field office geographies (Central, Hudson River, Long Island, NYC, and Western).

ACL delivers three integrated service lines. First, government advocacy is led by the Bring It Home Campaign (launched October 2017) and the annual ACL Legislative Day; in 2026 the campaign generated nearly 40,000 e-letters to the Governor and mobilized 200+ advocates from 44 agencies to the NYS Capitol. Second, education and professional development are anchored by the 47th Annual ACLAIMH Conference (550+ attendees, 45-50 workshops), the spring ACL Management Symposium for agency leaders, and five regional conferences; the organization also offers continuing education credits for CASAC, licensed mental health counselors, and licensed social workers. Third, member services include a job board, compliance and HIPAA resources, OMH regulations documentation, and a Legislative Action Center e-letter tool. ACL holds a formal regulatory partnership with NYS OMH and commercial affiliations with Interior Resources (furniture discounts), Relias (staff training), and Foothold Technology (data management).

ACL's revenue model combines recurring membership dues (Regular and Affiliate tiers, pricing not publicly disclosed), tiered registration fees for conferences and regional events (with Advanced Rate for early registration and Standard/On-Site rates), and tax-deductible donations through the ACLAIMH/Bring It Home crowdfunding campaign. ACL is not a technology company - its infrastructure consists of a WordPress website, a Microsoft SharePoint staff portal, and Cvent event management tooling. ACL does not provide housing or referrals; its function is collective advocacy, training, and operational support on behalf of mental health housing providers in NYS.

Name

association for community living

Legal name

Association for Community Living, Inc.

Website

https://aclnys.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Association for Community Living is a New York statewide not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1979 representing 100+ member agencies that deliver housing and rehabilitation services to 48,000-50,000+ individuals with serious psychiatric disabilities through advocacy, training, and professional development programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Clifton Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ACL generates revenue through membership dues from not-for-profit agencies that provide residential services to people diagnosed with psychiatric disabilities. Regular Membership is open to non-profit agencies currently providing residential services; Affiliate Membership is available to non-profit organizations developing such services.
2. Donations and Crowdfunding: Tax-deductible donations through ACLAIMH/Bring It Home crowdfunding campaign used to educate policymakers, develop materials, coordinate advocacy activities, and provide training opportunities for NYS mental health housing provider staff.
3. Conference and Event Revenue: Registration fees for the annual ACLAIMH Conference (over 550 attendees), Management Symposium, and regional conferences provide revenue. Fees include Advanced Rate for early registration and Standard/On-Site rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ACL is a 501(c)(3) statewide membership trade association that supports not-for-profit agencies providing housing and rehabilitation services to individuals with serious and persistent psychiatric disabilities in New York State. Its core offerings are annual/tiered memberships, advocacy representation with NYS government (Office of Mental Health, OASAS, legislature), and a calendar of conferences, symposia, and continuing-education programs. The organization also runs the Bring It Home Campaign and a Legislative Action Center that mobilizes members to influence mental health housing funding.

Product overview

ACL is a nonprofit membership organization (not a technology product company) that offers a unified service portfolio centered on advocacy, education, and professional development for mental health housing providers in New York State. The core offerings include the ACLAIMH Annual Conference (a 4-day statewide event), the ACL Management Symposium (2-day leadership event), and the Bring It Home Campaign (advocacy initiative). Supporting services include five regional conferences, a professional development/continuing education program, an online Legislative Action Center, a member job board, and general membership services providing access to networking, policy advocacy input, and resources for 120+ member agencies serving individuals with serious mental illness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bring It Home Campaign: Advocacy campaign launched in October 2017 to fight for community-based housing programs for individuals living with serious mental illness in New York State.

Products and services

• ACLAIMH Annual Conference Annual four-day statewide conference offering 45-50 educational workshops, keynote presentations, trade show, networking opportunities, and dialogue with NYS Office of Mental Health officials for mental health housing professionals; over 550 attendees annually.
• ACL Management Symposium Annual two-day symposium for executives and leaders of member agencies, featuring Commissioner panels, technical assistance, and networking with business partners.
• Regional Conferences Five regional direct-care conferences (Central, Hudson River, Long Island, NYC, Western) offering professional development and networking for direct care staff and supervisors within each geographic area of New York State.
• Professional Development / CE Credits Continuing-education credit courses for mental health professionals, including credentialing for CASAC/CPP/CPS, NYS Licensed Mental Health Counselors, and NYS Licensed Social Workers.
• Bring It Home Campaign Statewide advocacy campaign working to modernize NYS mental health housing systems and increase investment in community-based housing for individuals with serious mental illness.
• Legislative Action Center Online e-letter tool allowing members to send pre-written messages to NYS elected officials, the Governor, and legislative committee chairs simultaneously to advocate for mental health housing funding.
• Membership Services Regular and Affiliate membership tiers providing not-for-profit mental health housing agencies with advocacy representation, input into budget and regulatory priorities, regional meetings, conference access, and website recognition.
• Job Board Online job posting board for ACL member organizations to list employment opportunities in the nonprofit mental health field throughout New York State.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ member agencies serving 48,000-50,000+ individuals with serious mental illness
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Interior ResourcesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive furniture designer partnership offering ACL member organizations a 5%+ discount on furniture purchases. Interior Resources provides high-quality furnishing and design services to non-profit mental health housing organizations.
• ReliasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelias advances healthcare talent and improves outcomes through integrated solutions including recruiting and staffing, learning and performance, and compliance management. ACL members receive access to Relias solutions for staff education and retention.
• NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH)coreOthersPrimary regulatory partner. ACL advocates on behalf of member agencies with OMH, helps members understand OMH regulations and guidelines, and engages in OMH conferences and training events. ACL's regions align with OMH's regional field offices.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mental Health America (MHA): Community-based national advocacy organization with state and local affiliates focused on mental health policy, education, and screening. Comparable as a parallel membership-driven advocacy structure operating at the intersection of provider interests and consumer advocacy.
• National Council for Mental Wellbeing: National membership and advocacy organization for mental health and substance use providers. Comparable as a trade association serving behavioral health providers with advocacy, training, and policy engagement — the national-scale analog to ACL's NYS-focused mission.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): Nation's largest grassroots mental health advocacy organization with state and local affiliates. Comparable to ACL's Bring It Home Campaign and Legislative Action Center model — both organizations mobilize members to influence mental health policy at the state level.
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW): Largest membership organization of professional social workers in the U.S., with state chapters including NASW-NYS. Comparable to ACL as a professional membership association providing CE training, advocacy, and policy engagement for behavioral health practitioners in New York State.
• National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD): Membership association representing state mental health commissioners and directors. Directly comparable as the senior-level mental health policy association, with parallel advocacy and conference functions to ACL but at the state-commissioner level rather than the provider level.
• National Association of County Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD): Membership association for county-level behavioral health directors. Comparable to ACL as a behavioral health advocacy and training organization engaging government stakeholders, but at the county-government rather than provider level.
• NYS Coalition for Behavioral Health: New York State trade association representing behavioral health provider agencies. The most direct same-state peer to ACL — overlapping NYS advocacy scope on behavioral health funding, workforce, and regulatory issues, with member agencies in common categories.
• American Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (AAPRS): National membership association for psychiatric rehabilitation services and providers. Closely comparable to ACL's focus on community-based psychiatric rehabilitation and housing providers, with overlapping training, advocacy, and conference programming.
• The Arc of the United States: National disability advocacy organization with state and local chapters. Comparable structurally to ACL as a chapter-based disability advocacy association, though focused on intellectual and developmental disabilities rather than psychiatric disabilities.

Emerging players

• Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH): National nonprofit focused on scaling supportive housing for vulnerable populations including those with behavioral health needs. Comparable to ACL as a housing-focused advocacy and capacity-building organization serving similar populations, though operating nationally with a different funding model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/aclnys
• Facebookfacebook.com/Association-for-Community-Living-132014073522612
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-for-community-living-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/aclnys

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about association for community living