James Farrales, LCSW, ACSW - President and CEO

Mr. Farrales has been serving on the executive management team of Continuum of Care for the last 25 years and most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Through various senior leadership roles and with a proven track record of responsibly managing fiscal growth, Mr. Farrales has successfully secured more than $30M in grant funding, which includes $23M in annualized service contracts and $7M in capital funding. This revenue contributed to the expansion of the Agency's services from an annual operating budget of $2.6M when he joined the organization to $60M today.

Mr. Farrales has employed innovative means to meet the needs of clients.  He instituted Continuum's Quality Improvement program promoting the establishment of standards and benchmarks in providing service excellence. Mr. Farrales implemented the Medicaid Rehabilitation Options (MRO) initiative, Medicaid Waiver programs, and Corporate/HIPAA Compliance standards. Under Mr. Farrales’ strategic leadership, the Agency has developed a comprehensive program hiring persons in recovery. Through internship and training opportunities, Recovery Support Specialists use their own lived experience to help the clients the Agency serves. Mr. Farrales supports Continuum’s active role in providing field placements for many of the area’s universities and colleges. Many undergraduate and postgraduate students intern in the Agency's programs to fulfill their academic requirements.

Mr. Farrales has a long history of working collaboratively within a network of agencies in the behavioral health sector. He is a current member and former co-chair of the Regional Alliance to End Homelessness and a current member and former chairperson of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) of the United Way of Greater New. He is a former member of the Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network (CAN) Task Force, the Advisory Board of the Yale Hunger and Homelessness Action Project, and Greater New Haven Opening Doors.

Mr. Farrales holds a Master's of Social Work and a bachelor's degree in public health from Southern Connecticut State University. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers.