Scott-based service provider Mainstay marks 25th anniversary

An organization that fills a vital need for a quarter of a century can be considered as a mainstay.

Meeting those criteria is a Scott-based nonprofit that goes by the name, appropriately enough, Mainstay.

Founded in 1999 for the benefit of people who have intellectual disabilities and/or autism, Mainstay Life Services grew in size and scope with a corresponding need for what it provides.

To mark its 25th anniversary, the nonprofit launched the simplified “Mainstay” as a new brand identity, conveying the organization’s position as an enduring resource in the human services industry.

At the heart of Mainstay’s mission is enriching lives through person-centered support and inclusive community programs, such as operating more than 50 supported-living homes.

“Mainstay has doubled in size in five years, and that’s financial revenue, number of employees, programmatically,” chief financial officer said Jodie Esper. “Areas served, we’ve expanded into farther-reaching counties,” taking in a good portion of Western Pennsylvania.

To help support the expansion, particularly into more rural areas, Mainstay is advancing its use of technology.

“We have remote support professionals. Those are people who can support many individuals living independently,” by checking on how everyone is doing through the likes of sensors and call systems, CEO Kim Sonafelt said.

Because Mainstay is not immune to staffing shortages, technology provides another bonus.

“We can monitor remotely more folks,” Willette Walker, chief human capital officer, explained. “And then for the people who need in-person support, we can repurpose those individuals to really go where the need is. So it’s quite exciting in that regard, as well.”

Along with the residential component, Mainstay offers an employment service program, guiding individuals through the process of taking on jobs and succeeding in them.

“We have a nice relationship with UPMC,” Sonafelt cited as an example. “They were just needing our employment services on how they could collectively work together for some of their needs that they have in their hospitals.”

Other Mainstay programs include life sharing, through which people are welcomed into homes with supportive family environments, and another addressing the needs of “medically complex children,” according to Sonafelt.

“These are kids who for the first time are able to live with their families. A lot of them lived in hospitals all their lives,” she said. “This is a pretty new service for the state, and we’re one of the only providers in the area.”

In-home community habilitation services help hone socialization skills.

“We always hear, I want a boyfriend or a girlfriend,” Sonafelt said. “That’s, honestly, a frequent goal because people are people. We all want the same things. We want to be connected in some way, have a significant other, have friends, have meaning in our lives.”

Last year, Mainstay launched a subsidiary called enTRUST Services.

“That is a financial resource to individuals supported and their families,” Esper said. “We provide benefits counseling, representative payee services, and we have a pooled trust” in which they can save money.

With Mainstay’s rebranding comes a new logo, featuring a keyhole symbol in the middle of the “M.”

“It’s kind of in the eye of the beholder,” said Dorothy Gordon, chief advancement and engagement. “Some people have seen the keyhole as opening doors. To others, it might look like an angel. It could represent a person with supports around the person.”

Much of that support comes by way of Mainstay’s workforce.

“When you think about lives and unlocking potential, which is our tagline, we really like to believe that is applicable not only to the people we support, but for the staff, as well,” Walker said. “We really want to develop and grow our teams and really unlock their potential.”

Ideal candidates are compassionate, have a good work ethic and “really are empaths and really want to help people,” she said. Mainstay provides necessary training.

“We have really dedicated some resources to professionalizing the role. But again, it’s that right mindset,” Walker explained. “Those are the ones who do best in this type of position.”

For more information, visit mainstaylifeservices.org. A new website is expected to be in place by year’s end.