ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- A groundbreaking ceremony took place on Friday in Elmira for a crisis center that will be the first-of-its-kind in Chemung County. Casa-Trinity's motto, “Hope begins here,” rang true on the grounds of this project that has been five years in the making.  

“I knew it was what this area needed and what the people that we serve...and have been serving...needed,” Casa-Trinity's CEO Ann Domingos said. 

The future facility will house three new Casa-Trinity programs in one location. Domingos said one building will have a Mental Health Clinic that will support people with mental health and substance use symptoms, as well as a Crisis Stabilization Center. 

“This program is brand new to the State of New York,” she said. “It is first-time funding for this project...we will be able to see any community member in the Southern Tier Region.” 

The center will provide voluntary services, emphasizing peer and recovery support and will be open 24/7 for those in need of care. 

“There will be doctors on duty, we’ll have counselors on duty, and we will get people where they need to go or be able to help them...right then,” she said.  

There will also be a facility, known as the 820 Residential Center, with 24 beds, and a program for anyone who is struggling with a substance abuse disorder.  

“It’s a program that will give them care for up to three months,” she said. “There are three levels of care...we stabilize people, we give them some rehabilitation, and then we help them reintegrate into the community.”  

New York State Senator Tom O’Mara said he wanted to come to the groundbreaking ceremony to show his support for mental health awareness in Chemung County.  

“The need for inpatient services of this type can’t be overstated,” he said. “It’s really been lacking in this whole region. This is great and it’s going to come into fruition pretty quickly.” 

Casa-Trinity's goal is to have facility open in approximately 18 months.