|
Welcome to the June 2014 issue of Network News, the Supportive Housing Network of New York's monthly e-newsletter. In this issue, you'll find a recap of our 2014 conference and stories on a grand opening in NYC, the launch of a new supportive housing campaign, the retirement of an esteemed figure in the world of New York supportive housing and more. As always, we welcome your story ideas and tips for future issues. Thanks for reading!
|
|
Network hosts largest ever supportive housing conference
1,600 registered guests joined us on June 5
 | |
The morning plenary session at the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference (left to right): Ted Houghton, Louisa Chafee, Courtney Burke and Fran Reiter.
|
Held on June 5 in New York City, the event attracted 1,600 registered friends and members of the Supportive Housing Network of New York. We're proud to confirm that our conference was indeed the largest supportive housing event ever convened. Our full-day conference included a news-making roundtable dialogue with three of Gov. Cuomo's closest policy advisors, special remarks from NYC Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, 23 workshops, a cocktail reception and much more. Follow this link for our photo gallery from the day and click here to watch dozens of videos from workshops and the morning session.
To the 1,600 registered attendees: We thank you so much for helping to make this day so memorable!
The day began with introductory remarks from the Network's Executive Director Ted Houghton and Board Chair Bill Traylor. NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen then took the stage to discuss Mayor Bill de Blasio's recently-released plan to develop or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years and supportive housing's key role in that plan.
The morning session ended with a barn-burner: a roundtable dialogue that confirmed Gov. Andrew Cuomo's commitment to a new City-State agreement to develop supportive housing across the state. The Governor would, for the first time, expand the agreement statewide, which is welcome news to our members outside NYC. We were honored to be the venue for the first public announcement of the Governor's plans. Fran Reiter, New York State's Executive Deputy Director of State Operations, revealed to the standing-room-only ballroom that Gov. Cuomo had signed off on a method to finance a follow-up to the current, highly successful City-State partnership. Ms. Reiter made this announcement alongside NYS Deputy Secretaries Louisa Chafee and Courtney Burke.
"Yesterday, I got the approval to tell all of you today that the Governor has signed off on the plan and will fight for this plan and will fight for a New York/New York IV," Ms. Reiter said to thunderous applause.
For a full recap of our biggest event of the year, head over to Network Newsfeed:
|
|
Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing Launches
Campaign calls for new NY/NY Supportive Housing Agreement
 | |
More than 150 people gather on May 28 for the launch of the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing at New York Citiy Hall. Photo by Coalition for the Homeless.
|
This new coalition is urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio to negotiate a City-State agreement to create 30,000 units of supportive housing over the next 10 years. To date, more than 150 organizations have signed on to the campaign's platform. You can endorse the campaign by following this link. The Network is proud to have joined with organizations leading this campaign, which include the Coalition for the Homeless, CSH, Enterprise Community Partners, Association for Community Living, Coalition for Behavioral Health Agencies and many, many others.
You can learn more about the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing by reading these press highlights in NY1, Capital New York, New York Observer and The Real Deal.
Last month's rally took place on the steps of New York City Hall and included a number of guest speakers. Among them were Kristin Miller of CSH, Steve Coe of Community Access, Terry Troia of Project Hospitality, Mary Brosnahan of Coalition for the Homeless and the Network's own Nicole Branca.
The event also hosted several brave testimonials. Supportive housing tenant Kendra Oke, youth supportive housing tenant Shamel Quiles and shelter client Kermit Jones all took the microphone to deliver calls to action.
"I'm praying every day that these 30,000 units will help me and other people," Mr. Jones told the crowd.
For our full coverage of last month's rally, visit Network Newsfeed:
|
|
New supportive housing residence for youth opens in Manhattan
Developed by Phipps Houses with services from The Door
 | |
Partners gather to cut the ribbon outside 710 East 9th Street, a supportive housing residence in Manhattan, on June 17. Photo courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).
|
The fight to end homelessness in New York got a boost this week with the grand opening of a new supportive housing residence in lower Manhattan.
A gut-renovated, five-story residence developed by Phipps Houses, 710 East 9th Street provides housing and support services to 44 very needy households. Once rent-up is complete, the residence will house formerly homeless young adults, formerly homeless young families and low-income members of the community.Tenants at 710 East 9th Street have access to an array of on-site services provided by Network member The Door. Services will include job training, High School Equivalency (formerly "GED") classes, health care, counseling, legal support and childcare support. The building will also include a 10,000 square-foot community center operated by Loisaida, Inc.This week's opening included brief remarks from NYC Council Member Rosie Mendez and NYC Department of Housing Preservation Development (HPD) Commissioner Vicki Been as well as Michael Zisser, CEO of project partner University Settlement, and Raul Russi, CEO of Acacia Network, Loisaida's parent organization. Atheena, one of the formerly homeless mothers now housed at 710 East 9th Street, also spoke at the event."This development is a great example of how city agencies and development partners can work together to create affordable housing for those who need it most," Commissioner Been said.
To read our full coverage of this supportive housing grand opening, follow the link below to Network Newsfeed:
|
|
John Tynan retires after four decades at Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens
Joined organization as a social worker in 1973
Mr. Tynan has led the development of 44 affordable, senior and supportive housing residences during his celebrated career. As Executive Director of the Catholic Charities Progress of Peoples Development Corporation (CCPOP), the affordable housing developer of Catholic Charities, Mr. Tynan is responsible for roughly 10% of all senior housing in New York City.
His last day in the office will be July 3. He leaves behind a sterling legacy as a forefather in the fight to expand access to affordable housing for vulnerable populations in New York City.
"Housing really takes an army of people to develop; it was nice to be part of that 'army' for so many years," Mr. Tynan said. "I am very proud of all my former CCPOP staff that have gone on to serve this city on the larger scale, such as Rosanne Haggerty, founder of Common Ground and President and CEO of Community Solutions; Connie Tempel, the Chief Operating Officer of CSH; Cindy Holler, President of Mercy Housing Lakefront; Bill Traylor, President of Richman Housing Resources; Paul Freitag, Managing Director of Rose Development; Jerry Mascuch, Vice President of FEGS Housing and Property Development; Susan Albrecht, Executive Director of Association of New York Catholic Homes; Cathy Herman, Director of Housing at Goddard Riverside Community Center; Ariel Krasnow of West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing; Michelle Beaman, Project Manager of AHC Inc. and Shai Gross of Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation. I am very happy to have served the boroughs in Brooklyn and Queens, and I look forward to seeing what great things are to come from Catholic Charities in the future." To read our full piece on Mr. Tynan and his remarkable career, head over to Network Newsfeed: |
|
Florida study: Homelessness three times more expensive than supportive housing
Report covered by numerous print and online news outlets
A  new study on the cost-effectiveness of supportive housing received significant press coverage last month.
A report from Rethink Homelessness found that providing a homeless person with supportive housing costs taxpayers three times less than leaving a homeless person on the streets. "The Cost of Long-Term Homelessness in Central Florida" echoes the existing research, which has shown that supportive housing both provides formerly homeless individuals with safe, stable homes and saves taxpayer dollars. You can read the full document here.
The report led to stories on the cost-effectiveness of supportive housing in Vox, Think Progress, PolicyMic, the Orlando Sentinel and other media outlets.
The study looked at a group of 107 chronically homeless individuals in Florida. The researchers found that each person while homeless cost an average of $31,065 per year in inpatient hospitalizations, emergency room fees, incarceration and other systems associated with homelessness. By comparison, the report finds that supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals in Central Florida costs just $10,051 per person per year -- a 68% reduction in community costs.
To learn more about this exciting new piece of research, read our full write-up over at Network Newsfeed:
|
|
Staff changes announced at the Network
Applications now being accepted for a new Policy Analyst
 The Network must say farewell to two valued staff members this month. We welcome a new member of the team, and we will be accepting applications for a role in our NYC office.
Johanna Walczyk, our Program Analyst, will leave the Network in early July to move back to her hometown of Buffalo. Johanna has served in a variety of roles over the years at the Network. She first joined us in 2009 as a consultant while still in graduate school. In 2010, she became a full-time staffer as a Weatherization Associate and was instrumental in our effort to help supportive housing providers increase energy efficiency and improve the health of their tenants. She became our Program Analyst in 2012. Among her many accomplishments, Johanna most recently acted as the key researcher and writer of our 2013 report on the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement. She has made an incalculable impact on the Network, and we will miss her dearly as a coworker and friend. We are now accepting applications for a new Policy Analyst to join our staff. Click here to read the job description.
The Network is also saying goodbye to Soheil Rezayazdi. Soheil has served as our point person on digital communications since 2011, when he joined us as a Communications Associate. He became our Communications Officer in 2013. Soheil managed the overhaul of our website in 2011, created the Network's Facebook and Twitter presence, developed and launched the Network's blog and, most recently, worked to develop and launch the Network's new member forums. He is the external voice of the Network as the principal writer/editor for our website, newsletter and social media outlets. He will begin work in July as Director of Communications and New Media at Humanity in Action, an international educational nonprofit headquartered in New York City. He thanks you all for reading over the years, and he does sincerely hope you keep in touch. You can contact him at his personal email. The Network will miss him enormously and we wish him great luck in all his future endeavors.
Taking on the role of Chief Digital and Communications Officer is Sarah Schenck. Sarah is a filmmaker who consulted for the Network earlier this year while one of our staff members was on maternity leave. Sarah has a wealth of media- and policy-related experience to her name. In the 1990s, Sarah worked as a Senior Policy Advisor for Education in the NYC Comptroller's Office. She then began a successful career as a filmmaker. Sarah received an Independent Spirit Award nomination in 2004, wrote and directed a feature length romantic comedy in 2007 and created numerous PSAs and short films for Fresh Films. In the early 2000s she produced several PSAs for Network member Project Renewal, marking her introduction to the supportive housing community. She directed a PSA called "Good Housing. Good Neighbors." for the Network in 2009, which you can watch here. She is also the co-founder of Parent Earth, a new media company that promotes healthy eating for families. Her first day on staff will be July 16. We are elated to have Sarah join our NYC office. If you'd like to send her a welcome note, you can reach her at [email protected]. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Network Jobs Board Check out these job openings and many others on our Jobs Board. Network members can post their employment opportunities for free!
Policy Analyst Supportive Housing Network of New York
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Columba Kavanagh House Senior Case Manager Geel Community Services |
Upcoming Events
The Network is now offering discounted technical assistance training for supportive housing building staff to help make their residences greener and more environmentally friendly. See this flyer for details. The remaining dates for these trainings include June 24 and 25.
The Network will also convene a focus group with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on July 9 from 9am-11am to discuss how to prevent heat-related illness for individuals with mental health conditions. The meeting aims to increase awareness among service providers and improve DOHMH communications and outreach to service providers. Please email Wren Longno if you would like to attend.
|
Member Updates
Services for the UnderServed (SUS) celebrated last month the triumphant reopening of Beach 85th, a supportive housing residence badly hit by Hurricane Sandy. The residence underwent a $4.8 million renovation to reopen the 71-unit building. The celebration included Enterprise Community Partners, which helped fund the renovation. To learn more about the residence and its reopening, see this May 8 article in the New York Daily News. We are so happy for SUS and its tenants in the Rockaways!
|
News Clips
WNYC aired a terrific piece on New York's efforts to invest Medicaid savings in supportive housing on June 4. The piece ran as part of the radio station's Prescription for the Bronx (Rx for the Bx) series on healthcare innovations for the borough. You can read or listen to the full piece here.
The New York Times ran a feature story on Hour Children and its founder Sister Tesa Fitzgerald on June 13. The story focuses on Hour Children's goal to help formerly incarcerated women and their children regain stability through services and housing. You can read the article here.
Project Renewal President Mitchell Netburn published a letter to the editor in the New York Times on May 6. The letter responds to a Times piece on NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio's 10-year housing plan. You can read the letter here.
|
Comings and Goings
Andrew White has announced he will step down as Director of the Center for New York City Affairs at The New School. On June 23, he will join the Bill de Blasio Administration as Deputy Commissioner for Policy and Planning at the NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS). Mr. White has long been a friend of the supportive housing community, and we are eager to see him take on this exciting new role at ACS. We look forward to working with him in our collective effort to help homeless, runaway, foster care and at-risk youth of New York City.
Matthew Shelley has left the Greyston Foundation, his home for more than 10 years. As the organization's Senior Vice President for Programs, Mr. Shelley created Greyston's Workforce Development Initiative and managed most of Greyston's nonprofit programs. Mr. Shelley is a former presenter at the New York State Supportive Housing Conference, having appeared on a workshop on workforce development in 2012, and was a member of our Steering Committee. Mr. Shelley now serves as Chief Program Officer a Jawonio, a nonprofit service provider in Rockland County. We wish him the best in his new role, and we look forward to continuing our relationship in the years to come.
Jody Rudin is the new Acting Deputy Commissioner of Adult Services at the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS). Ms. Rudin has worked at DHS for 11 years, having begun as Director of Entitlements in 2003. She has also served as Assistant Commissioner of Street Homeless Solutions and, most recently, as Associate Commissioner for Single Adult Services. Prior to her time at DHS, Ms. Rudin worked for the NYC Council and a national HIV/AIDS advocacy organization. In the role of Deputy Commissioner of Adult Services, she replaces Doug James, who left the post earlier this month.
Eileen Torres has been named the new Executive Director of BronxWorks. Ms. Torres assumed her new role last month after having served as Interim Executive Director since July 2013. Ms. Torres first joined BronxWorks in 1995 as an Assistant to the Executive Director. She was appointed Administrative Counsel shortly thereafter and named General Counsel in 2003. As Executive Director, Ms. Torres succeeds Carolyn McLaughlin, who headed BronxWorks from 1979 to 2013. We offer our congratulations to Ms. Torres as she takes on this important new leadership position!
President Obama has nominated Shaun Donovan to be the next Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Mr. Donovan has served as Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) since 2009. A native New Yorker, Mr. Donovan served as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) from 2004 until he was tapped to lead HUD. During his tenure, he oversaw HPD's New Housing Marketplace Plan to build and preserve 165,000 units of affordable housing. Mr. Donovan awaits confirmation by the Senate in order to take on his new role at OMB.
|
|
|
