Advocacy

People and Ideas Making a Difference

The Institute seeks to implement caring, respectful, and person-centered responses to the plight of at-risk individuals who flounder in today's medical, housing and social services theaters. Guardianship is a remedy of last resort that has few natural advocates. Yet the right kind of involvement by a compassionate professional is important for those who suffer because they cannot access basic support through these systems.

Public Guardian Services

Public Guardian Services (PGS) is the Institute’s hands-on demonstration of what high-quality, relationship-driven guardianship can look like in practice. Created in 2019 to fill the growing gap in guardianship services statewide, PGS supports adults who are medically or psychiatrically vulnerable, unrepresented, and at significant risk. Few of the most at-risk individuals receive the day-to-day presence of a guardian that helps them stabilize. PGS guardians follow a social-work model grounded in consistent, relationship-based support, helping clients build independence, access services, secure safe housing, reconnect with community supports, and move toward greater well-being.

Our Partners

Scroll to Top

2 While both “unbefriended” and “unrepresented” are commonly used to refer to the population of concern to the Institute, we use the latter in this Report, as being more technically correct and less distracting than the other, more emotive term. In using the term, we do not intend to imply anything about legal representation.

1 Moye, J., et al., Ethical Concerns and Procedure Pathways for Patients Who are Incapacitated and Alone, HEC Forum DOI 10.1007/s10730‐016‐9317‐9 (published online), p. 4 (Jan. 13, 2017.