The word sinergia means “synergy” in Spanish. Sinergia is the enhanced energy of two forces combined. This refers to what families and individuals can achieve when they work with advocates who support their goals and respect their cultures.
Sinergia works with people with disabilities and their families. Sinergia has a longstanding reputation for working with underserved families, many with limited English proficiency, who may be homeless or impoverished, or who may be struggling with insecure housing and income, lack of services, and discrimination based on ethnicity, language status, immigration status, gender or poverty.
Un-served, under-served, and distressed communities should have greater access to goods, services, and other resources, without the barriers of discrimination and ignorance. Since it was founded in 1977, Sinergia has remained faithful to its twin goals: the first and most immediate is to provide service coordination, information, and support to families and individuals in need. The second, more long-term goal is to provide families and individuals the means of self-empowerment, ultimately enabling them to become advocates for themselves and their families.
Sinergia has created a number of innovative programs, including transitional housing for homeless families who have children with disabilities, community residences for adults with developmental disabilities, parenting classes for adults with developmental disabilities, Day Habilitation, Family Support Services, Home Care, Family Care Programs, Medicaid Services Coordination, Housing Assistance Programs, and a Neighborhood Preservation Program. In 1995, Sinergia, Inc.’s Metropolitan Parent Center (MPC) began providing information, training, referral, and individual advocacy to parents living in New York City.