In conjunction with our advocacy partners in the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing, we wrote to the Governor February 3rd, asking that, through the 30-Day Amendment process, he significantly increase the state's commitment to a large-scale NY/NY 4 beyond the 5,000 unit statewide agreement put forward in the Executive Budget. We also asked the Governor to fully fund services and operating costs in supportive housing for people with psychiatric disabilities. Historically paid for by the state, the 2015-16 Executive Budget required New York City and other localities to pay half the cost.

 

At the same time, in conjunction with our partners in the Campaign, we asked members to write to Speaker Carl Heastie asking him to prioritize an agreement with 30,000 units in NYC in the Assembly and to ensure that the State continue to pay 100% of service and operating costs for mentally ill tenants. More than fifty letters were generated in less than three days.

 

The Chairs of the Assembly Committees on Housing, Mental Health, Social Services, Veterans, Health and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse also sent a letter to the Speaker on the need for a robust NY/NY Agreement.

 

As reported below, the Network and Homeless Services United, brought more than 90 tenants, providers and other advocates to Albany March 3rd to talk to more than 40 legislators about the crushing need for a new large-scale statewide supportive housing agreement, more funding at OTDA and adequate funding for mental health housing.

 

In an effort to raise the visibility of supportive housing, Assembly members began the March 3rd legislative session by honoring supportive housing providers for the stellar work they do in members' communities addressing homelessness and improving neighborhoods. On that day, the Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing along with the Network and members also presented the Governor's new Assistant Secretary for Housing with a letter signed by 169 members of the faith community asking for a large-scale agreement.

 

The Network and our members are also working with out-of-city legislators in both the Assembly and Senate to promote NY/NY as a statewide agreement, advocating for an additional 5,000 units.

 

Thank you for your on-going support in these efforts!

Reverend Georgiette Morgan-Thomas of Goddard Riverside Community Center and Assembly Member Keith Wright

 

The New York State Assembly honored outstanding supportive housing providers from around the state on March 3, 2015 as part of our second lobby day of the year, another joint effort with Homeless Services United.

 

Reverend Georgiette Morgan-Thomas of Goddard Riverside Community Center said, "it was an honor to represent those who cannot represent themselves yesterday; having witnessed the benefits of NY/NY I, II and III, I understand the necessity of NY/NY4, as well as the need to increase funding for services to our homeless population, and feel passionate about helping our legislators understand the need.  Being acknowledged and introduced to the entire Assembly for the work that I have done in housing was empowering and encouraging."

   

Assembly Member Cathy Nolan and tenants & staff from Hour Children

 

The Network, along with Homeless Services United, brought a record group of 92 providers and tenants to Albany on March 3rd. Our second lobby day was extremely productive - we had 42 meetings with legislators and staff.

 

Network Executive Director Laura Mascuch lauded the supportive housing community for all the work we've been doing together to increase the number of units in NY/NY 4. "We are desperately in need of more permanent housing with on-site services in the City and statewide for the most vulnerable New Yorkers," said Mascuch.

 

   

Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi

 

"We were thrilled to learn that Assembly Member Hevesi would be chairing the Social Services Committee," said Shelly Nortz, Deputy Executive Director for Policy at the Coalition for the Homeless. "He has a great passion for addressing inequality and the root causes of homelessness.  He has taken the lead in this budget season for rallying support among his Assembly colleagues for the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing."

 

The Network's Executive Director Laura Mascuch noted that in addition to being a key proponent of NY/NY 4, Assembly Member Hevesi is also advocating for adding $8 million to the OTDA budget -- $2.46 million for the NYS Supportive Housing Program and $5 million for Solutions to End Homelessness Program. "Once supportive housing residences have opened, it's critical that they have sufficient funding for social services, and that this funding increase over time. Assembly Member Hevesi has a deep understanding of the role that both permanent housing and on-site services play in ending homelessness among the most vulnerable and we look forward to continuing to work with him on this ambitious agenda."

The Network Lobbies in Albany

75-person strong force goes to Albany on February 3rd to lobby for an expanded statewide NY/NY 4 agreement  

 

 

The Network, along with HSU, brought a 75-person strong force to Albany on February 3rd to lobby for an expanded statewide NY/NY 4 agreement and budget increases for critical supportive housing and homelessness prevention progams. Here is a slideshow from the day -- feel free to share!

 

The day was productive and full - amidst 38 meetings with legislators and staff, the Network also hosted a luncheon that included a brief chance to meet and greet the Governor's new Assistant Secretary for Housing, Kisha Santiago-Martinez, who was introduced by Network Executive Director Laura Mascuch.

  

   

 

Emergency Prep Materials Ready for You 

Easy to tailor to the needs of your organization

As we reported earlier, The Network spent part of last year working on a multi-part initiative to help our community better prepare for large-scale emergencies (a la Superstorm Sandy). We engaged (extraordinary) Emergency Prep consultants EAD Associates to help us tease out what would be of most use to help members prepare their organizations, residences and tenants for a range of disasters. High on providers' lists was the need for concrete guidance on what an emergency plan looks like. As a result, EAD created two supportive housing specific 'templates' that providers could tailor to meet the needs of their own organizations. We are delighted to announce that both these templates - and the more than 80 sample plan documents that go with - are now available on our website under Resiliency. The templates can be tailored to the needs of either congregate or scattered site housing programs and will help you think about -- and plan for -- every imaginable type of emergency situation including heat waves, floods, and power outages. All the documents can be edited in Microsoft Word to fit your agency's specific needs.

 

Early response to the materials has been enthusiastic: Flemister House Executive Director called the templates "excellent" and reviewers called the materials "incredibly helpful."

The Network and EAD conducted three trainings on how to begin to use the templates; the video and webinars are also available on the website.

 

Please let us know to what extent these resources are useful to your organization: we are seeking additional funding to continue this work and your feedback helps us make the case for continued need around emergency prep. For questions about the templates and resources, contact Wren Longno at 646.619.9645.

NY Community Trust Training 

Learning lab on leveraging healthcare opportunities 

 

 

The Network is pleased to offer members the opportunity to participate in a six-session Learning Lab on Leveraging Healthcare Reform Opportunities. Funded by the New York Community Trust and offered by Markowitz Consulting, the Learning Lab will offer participants the chance to learn about all the programs and initiatives being undertaken to improve healthcare for the most vulnerable New Yorkers so that you can make informed choices as to how your organization might make use of these opportunities. A similar Learning Lab was offered to providers of services for PLWA and was extremely well received - both for the information imparted and the community built among participants. NYCT is asking interested organizations to submit short applications by March 18th.  

 

The Learning Lab is for all New York City agencies willing to devote significant organizational resources (senior staff time) to gaining a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by the fast-evolving healthcare reform environment - not just those that are already engaged in change.

 

The Lab is being offered to a limited number of groups that belong to the Network, and/or the Coalition for Behavioral Health Agencies and/or United Neighborhood Houses.

 

While the Network has participated in a number of meetings to tailor the Learning Lab to the supportive housing provider community, we are merely the conduit for news of the Learning Lab: Please address all questions to [email protected].

 

We are very pleased to be able to pass along this information and are grateful that the Trust is extending this opportunity to us and our members.

Herbert Barish Co-Founder of Lower Eastside Service Center Passes Away   

Herb Barish

Herbert Barish, one of the leading lights of the supportive housing community as co-founder of the Lower Eastside Service Center, passed away on Feb. 4, 2015. "Herb was a true supportive housing visionary. Long before anyone else, Herb had the concept of serving families whose head of household dealt with substance abuse and were child welfare involved. Out of this vision, years later, Diversity Works was born and became part of Keeping Families Together, which is now a national initiative," said Connie Tempel of CSH.

 

"Herb was a wonderful person, truly passionate and committed to meeting the needs of individuals challenged with substance abuse and addictions. He dedicated his life to service. Herb clearly saw how important supportive housing was in the continuum of care for these individuals," said Blanca Ramirez of Hudson Housing Capital.

 

In 1959, a group of Lower East Side churches and settlement houses banded together to form the Lower Eastside Information and Service Center for Narcotic Addiction, Inc. in a storefront on Henry Street. From that beginning, Herb Barish, then a social work intern and Edward Brown, a pastoral counselor developed the Lower Eastside Service Center (LESC) to respond to the heroin epidemic that was tearing through the community. LESC continues to offer residential treatment, supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals and families impacted by addiction and HIV/AIDS and services for clients struggling with both chemical dependency and mental health challenges. Mr. Barish served as LESC's president & CEO from 2005 until his retirement in 2013.

"Herb was invaluable to LESC," said President and CEO Valerie Walters. "In keeping with his vision of providing a holistic approach to the needs of the individual in treatment, he knew that supportive housing was essential. He developed three cutting- edge supportive housing programs: Pencer House, Diversity Works, -- the first supportive housing residence for families developed with NY/NY III funding -- and the new Franklin Avenue Residence."

 

Mr. Barish will be greatly missed.

HHAP Capital Awards  

Supportive housing expands in upstate NY