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Welcome to the May 2014 issue of Network News, the Supportive Housing Network of New York's monthly e-newsletter. In this issue, you'll find stories on Mayor de Blasio's new housing plan, the Network's 2014 conference, two openings from Odyssey House, the ground-breaking ceremony for Livonia Commons and more. As always, we welcome your story ideas and tips for future issues. Thanks for reading!
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Mayor de Blasio releases housing plan
Proposals include call for increased supportive housing
 New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has issued "Housing New York," a plan to build or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years. The plan offers innovative strategies to increase affordability and broad unit production goals, including a plan to work with New York State to expand supportive housing development. Mayor de Blasio unveiled his housing plan at 262 Ashland Place, the site of a mixed-income housing project currently in development by Gotham Development Corporation and Network members Common Ground and The Actors Fund.
"Housing New York" outlines over 50 proposals to develop or preserve these new units of affordable housing. The plan states that supportive housing should serve an integral role in the fight to end homelessness and create new housing opportunities for vulnerable New Yorkers. It specifically advocates for the creation of a new supportive housing agreement between New York City and New York State as a follow-up to the successful, 10-year New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement that is ending next year.
The Network fully supports this critical proposal to expand access to supportive housing across New York City.
"Mayor de Blasio's housing plan provides the exact solutions we need to end our city's record levels of homelessness," said Network Executive Director Ted Houghton. "This crisis calls for a robust investment in supportive housing and other housing options for homeless, disabled and very low-income individuals and families. The housing plan released today will work toward those goals. We're especially pleased that the plan calls for a new City-State initiative to expand upon the successes of the previous New York/New York Agreements."
To read our full press release on Mayor de Blasio's housing plan and its potential impacts on supportive housing, visit Network Newsfeed. We look forward to reading Mayor de Blasio's full executive budget later today.
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Network Conference arrives June 5
Registration now open for the largest supportive housing conference in the nation!
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Attendees of the 2013 New York State Supportive Housing Conference (left to right): Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick, NYS Senator Cecillia Tkaczyk and NYC Council Member Annabel Palma.
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We're just one month away from the largest supportive housing conference in the nation!
On June 5, more than 1,200 of our friends and colleagues will gather for the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference in New York City. Hundreds of you have already registered to attend our full-day affair at the New York Marriott Marquis. In case you haven't yet, we urge you to register today. Admission gets you access to 24 workshops, a morning session with special guests, breakfast, lunch, a cocktail reception and endless chances to make new friends and catch up with old ones.
Our 2014 conference is looking to be the most-attended event in the Network's history. As always, we've tailored our slate of workshops to appeal to our very diverse community. Workshops will explore the many facets of supportive housing, from innovative financing models to hoarding, Mayor de Blasio's housing plan to respite care, supporting your staff to housing models for high-risk young adults. Our community touches a wide breadth of caring individuals, from bankers to case managers. We've designed our conference to reflect that diversity.
This year, workshops will once again be split into three 90-minute sessions. The day will begin with a high-level discussion on supportive housing between three of Governor Cuomo's senior policy advisors: Courtney Burke (Deputy Secretary for Health), Louisa Chafee (Deputy Secretary for Human Services and Information Technology) and Fran Reiter (Executive Deputy Director of State Operations).
Several workshops will offer attendees the chance to hear and meet with newly-appointed members of the de Blasio administration. Commissioners Steve Banks (Human Resources Administration) and Gilbert Taylor (Department of Homeless Services) will be on hand to discuss the new mayor's homelessness policies. Elsewhere, Commissioners Gladys Carri�n (Administration for Children's Services) and Bill Chong (Department of Youth and Community Development) will share ideas on how the city plans to aid its homeless, runaway and at-risk youth. Several representatives from NYC government will also join a discussion of how the de Blasio administration can reach its goal of developing 200,000 units of supportive housing over the next 10 years.
If you haven't yet, we hope you'll take a minute to register today for the conference! Registration is simple and grants you access to a full day of events. We hope to see you in one month!
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Unified Funding Round awards announced
HCR funds 164 supportive housing units in seven residences
Based on the Network's preliminary analysis, the 2013 Unified Funding Round financed a total of 164 supportive housing units. This number represents a 58% decrease from 2012, when 389 units were funded. Supportive housing accounted for 8% of the 2,092 affordable units funded this year. In an average year, supportive housing comprises 17% of the units funded through the UFR. Much of this drop can be attributed to the forthcoming end of the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement, a 10-year commitment that concludes next year.
Of the 37 projects funded, seven include supportive housing apartments. In total, Low Income Housing Tax Credits funded $2.3 million in supportive housing projects. We'd like to congratulate all those who received awards. To see the full list of projects funded, head over to Network Newsfeed:
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HASA award winners notified
Funds will develop 394 units of supportive housing
 In April, the NYC HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) made preliminary contract awards for the final 394 units of congregate HIV/AIDS supportive housing through the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement. NY/NY III, the city-state agreement to fund 9,000 units of supportive housing in New York City over 10 years, included 1,000 units specifically for people who are homeless and living with HIV/AIDS. The awards that were just announced will conclude HASA's commitment under the NY/NY III Agreement.
To expedite the development of these units, HASA instituted a first-come first-served process. The agency over-awarded the number of contracts and instructed providers to inform HASA when they've received site control for a project. Site control will serve as one of the determination criteria for receiving a final award.
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Grand opening held for Hour Children Apartment House III
New residence houses 18 high-risk families in Queens
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Students from the VOICE Charter School sing the National Anthem at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Hour Children Apartment House III on May 7. Photo by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).
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It was a celebratory day in Queens yesterday as Hour Children commemorated the grand opening of its third supportive housing residence.
Hour Children Apartment House III provides housing and services for 18 highly vulnerable families in the neighborhood of Long Island City. This pristine new residence houses 16 formerly homeless families through the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement and two low-income families from the community. As in all of its supportive housing residences, Hour Children placed an emphasis on housing formerly incarcerated mothers and their children with its new project. The residence first opened its doors late last year and has already begun to flourish as a home for some of our neediest families.
Yesterday's ribbon-cutting was a festive, colorful affair marked by guest speeches, prayer, song and dance. The event began with introductory remarks from Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, the CNN Hero and Executive Director of Hour Children. Her remarks gave way to the National Anthem, as sung by students from VOICE Charter School. A pastor from the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer then led the many partners and friends of the residence in a brief prayer.
Many of the government partners that helped make Hour Children Apartment House III a reality were on hand to celebrate the day and give remarks. These included Brett Hebner of the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA)'s Homeless Housing and Assistance Corporation (HHAC), Ray Hodges of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and Greg Watson of NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR). Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer also spoke at the event.
To learn more about Hour Children Apartment House III, see our full write-up on yesterday's ribbon-cutting at Network Newsfeed:
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RFP released for Livonia project Phase II
Applications for funding due July 11
The NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has released a Request for Proposals for Phase II of the Livonia Avenue Initiative in East New York, Brooklyn. You can click here to register and download the RFP. The RFP is for a mixed-use development on four sites in East New York. The document does not specifically mention supportive housing, but Phase I did include 51 units (out of 278 total) for supportive housing through the New York/New York III Agreement. See the story below to learn more about Phase I of this development.
The proposal submission deadline is 4:00pm on July 11, 2014.
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Odyssey House opens two supportive housing residences in April
Buildings house more than 120 formerly homeless people
 | | Partners gather for the grand openings of Soundview Avenue (left) and Tinton Avenue, two new supportive housing residences in the Bronx. Photos courtesy of Odyssey House. |
Network members Odyssey House had a terrific April with not one but two grand opening celebrations for new supportive housing residences in the Bronx.
The organization held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 10 for Odyssey House Soundview Avenue, the new home of 56 formerly homeless New Yorkers. Just two weeks later the nonprofit opened Odyssey House Tinton Avenue, a 65-unit residence. Both projects were funded by the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) through the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement.
The grand openings included guest remarks from NYS Rep. Marcos Crespo, representatives of OMH and Odyssey House, the Network's own Cynthia Stuart, tenants from the newly constructed residences and others.
"When you're in a shelter, you're not living; you're merely existing. Now I have a chance at being more independent and reaching my goals," said Adrienne, a tenant at Tinton Avenue. "I can also think more clearly and take better care of myself. It's a joy to have some stability back in my life."
To learn more about the Tinton Avenue residence, see our full story here. For more information on Soundview Avenue, read our full story at Network Newsfeed. |
Livonia Commons breaks ground  Project represents Phase I of the Livonia Avenue Initiative
 | | Project partners break ground with Mayor de Blasio on Livonia Commons, an affordable and supportive housing development in Brooklyn. Photo by Alex Rud. |
New York City broke ground earlier this month on Livonia Commons, a 278-unit project devoted to affordable and supportive housing in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York.
This $90 million development will consist of four individual buildings on a formerly vacant lot. Fifty-one of the units offered will be set aside for supportive housing. Of those, 43 of the units will house individuals with mental illness through the NY/NY III Supportive Housing Agreement and eight will house individuals with developmental disabilities through the NYS Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).
Network member Dunn Development Corp. is developing the project. The formerly homeless tenants will receive on-site support services from CAMBA, another Network member.
"Livonia Commons will help revitalize the Livonia Avenue corridor with a dynamic mix of new affordable housing, retail stores and community spaces," said Martin Dunn, Dunn Development Corp. President and a member of the Network's Board of Directors.
"Our clients know they always have someone nearby to help them if a crisis arises," said Joanne Oplustil, CAMBA's President and CEO. "Over many years of experience, we've proven that supportive housing is a cost-effective and successful approach to ending homelessness and helping tenants flourish."
For a full overview of last month's ground-breaking, read our story at Network Newsfeed:
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National Low Income Housing Coalition holds annual conference in DC
Network attends, advocates for key federal policy priorities
 The Network was proud to participate in the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)'s annual conference in Washington, DC last month. The event included a keynote address from US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, who praised the coalition's 40-year history of fighting for affordable housing. He recalled that in his earlier days at HUD, under then-Secretary Andrew Cuomo, he frequently saw Coalition founder Cushing Dolbeare have lunch with his boss. "Cushing was my hero's hero," the Secretary related.
We were honored to participate this year as both workshop presenters and New York State captains for the advocacy day held after the conference.
Network Executive Director Ted Houghton presented on a panel on the Affordable Care Act, in which he highlighted New York's Medicaid Redesign efforts. The panel also featured Christine Campbell of Housing Works, the organization behind the Housing Is Healthcare campaign, and Peggy Bailey, CSH's expert on healthcare. The Network's Steve Piasecki appeared on several panels to discuss another federal campaign, United for Homes. In a conversation led by Coalition Executive Director Sheila Crowley, Mr. Piasecki shared the challenges and successes of gaining support for United for Homes in New York. Mr. Piasecki also had the privilege of introducing Mark Johnston of HUD (see "Comings and Goings" sidebar) for the annual "Ask HUD" session.
To read our full dispatch from NLIHC's 2014 conference, head over to Network Newsfeed:
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Oregon study: Supportive housing improves health, saves lives
Report finds cost savings linked to supportive housing
 A study released last month reconfirms the economic and health benefits of supportive housing.
The report comes out of Oregon, where supportive housing has helped a group of formerly homeless individuals dramatically cut their healthcare expenses. It finds that tenants on Medicaid at Bud Clark Commons (BCC) averaged roughly $2,000 per month in healthcare costs in the year prior to housing. Once housed, that figure dropped to just $899 a month, a 55% decrease. Collectively, the 59 tenants studied at BCC reduced their Medicaid costs by more than $783,000 in just one year. You can read the full document here.
The report concludes:
"The average resident saw a reduction of over $13,000 in annual [Medicaid] claims, an amount greater than the estimated $11,600 it costs annually to house a resident at BCC. Importantly, this reduction in claims was maintained into and beyond the second year of residency, suggesting that supportive housing had a profound and ongoing impact on health care costs for those living at BCC."
You can head over to Network Newsfeed to read more about this new piece of research:
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Gene Estess, Wall Street broker turned homeless advocate, passes away
Mr. Estess served at Jericho Project and the Network
 The Network would like to pay its respects to Gene Estess, a former leader of the supportive housing community who passed away last month. Mr. Estess served for 18 years as the Executive Director of Jericho Project, one of our longtime members, from 1987 to 2005. He also acted as Chair of the Network's Steering Committee from 2001-2002. He was 78 years old.
"Gene had a tremendous impact on Jericho Project and on the supportive housing community, and he truly believed in the transformative change that supportive housing has on the lives of homeless individuals," said Tori Lyon, Jericho's Executive Director and a Network Board Member. "He cared deeply about Jericho's tenants and staff, and he will truly be missed."
Mr. Estess' story is a unique and inspiring one. For years, Mr. Estess worked on Wall Street as a broker for L.F. Rothschild, Unterberg, Towbin, an investment banking firm. A 1984 encounter with a homeless woman would change his life forever. Mr. Estess met Patricia, a woman living with mental illness in Grand Central Terminal. He spoke with her daily at the station and offered her money for the day. He eventually helped her receive services at Jericho Project, which at that time was still in its infancy.
A short time later, Mr. Estess quit his job on Wall Street and become the nonprofit's Executive Director. He was 52-years-old when he made this career U-turn.
To read our full story on Mr. Estess and his remarkable life, visit our blog Network Newsfeed:
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Network launches new web features
Members can create personal web accounts, access forums
The Network has launched two major changes to the Members section of its website. The ever-growing shnny.org now lets users create individual user accounts and join forums to discuss issues related to supportive housing. To get started, click here to create your new user login!
Completing our online member registration form should take no longer than three minutes. An account grants you access to a host of members-only features. You'll be able to post jobs to our public Jobs Board, browse sensitive member resources, ask us questions, request access to our new forums and more. We encourage anyone who works at one of our 300-plus member organizations to take advantage of this new members-only feature.
We've also launched Network Forums, a new series of message boards for our most active members. These forums allow our members to discuss specific issues at length and in privacy. We've kicked off this feature with an initial eight forums, each on a different facet of supportive housing: property management, emergency preparedness, young adult housing and more. To receive access to these forums, you must first complete the member registration form linked above. You need to then send an email to [email protected] requesting access to a specific forum. Please note: To maintain trust and privacy, forum access is limited to individuals who have direct experience with the forum's central topic.
We're very excited to offer you these new web features. If you have any questions, or if you'd like to learn more about these upgrades, please don't hesitate to contact us! |
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Network Jobs Board Check out these job openings and many others on our Jobs Board. Network members can post their employment opportunities for free!
Director of Leasing Lantern Community Services
Building Director Common Ground Business Manager Community Access |
Member Updates
The NYC Mental Health Film Festival will return for its tenth year later this month. On May 17-18, the festival will host film screenings, filmmaker Q&A sessions and more. This year's films address hospitalization and its alternatives. To learn more about the festival, see here. Many thanks to Community Access and the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRAS) for putting on this annual event.
The New York Housing Conference will host a panel discussion on homelessness later this month. The event, slated for May 20, will touch on NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio's housing plan and other developments in homeless and housing policy. The panel will include Network Executive Director Ted Houghton and representatives from NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and Concern for Independent Living. You can register for this event here.
One of the godmothers of supportive housing was honored last week at the Citizens Housing & Planning Council (CHPC)'s Annual Luncheon. Laura Jervis, Executive Director of the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, received the Roger Starr Public Service Award at the luncheon. The event also included a keynote address from Alicia Glen, New York City's new Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development. You can learn more about CHPC's Annual Luncheon here.
The North Star Fund honored Richman Housing Resources President Bill Traylor at its 2014 Community Gala last month. Mr. Traylor received one of the night's three North Star Awards, which honor New Yorkers committed to social justice. The award highlighted his decades of work to create housing opportunities for low-income and vulnerable New Yorkers. Mr. Traylor is the Chairman of the Network's Board of Directors. Congratulations, Bill!
New Destiny Housing celebrated the grand opening of Bainbridge Manor on April 28. Located in Brooklyn, the residence offers 23 units of service-enriched housing for 23 families, including those who are survivors of domestic violence. Last month's ribbon-cutting featured a number of guest speakers and elected officials. We congratulate New Destiny on its newest residence and thank the organization for its continued support of some of New York's most vulnerable citizens.
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News Clips
Housing First! co-chair (and Network Executive Director) Ted Houghton published a letter to the editor in the Wall Street Journal on April 8. The piece responds to a March 31 editorial on low-income housing and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The piece was co-written by Todd Gomez, a member of the Network's Board of Directors and the other co-chair of Housing First! You can read the letter here.
Ted Houghton also appeared on "Inside City Hall" yesterday to discuss Mayor de Blasio's affordable housing plan with NY1 host Errol Louis, Martin Dunn of Dunn Development Corp., Council Member Jumaane Williams and Bernell Grier of Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City (NHS). We will share video of this discussion should it become available online.
City Limits ran an extensive piece on family supportive housing on April 23. The piece offers a comprehensive look at the successes of Keeping Families Together (KFT), an initiative from CSH and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. You can read the entire long-form article here.
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Comings and Goings
RuthAnne Visnauskas is the new Managing Director of the Housing Advisory Board at Robin Hood. Ms. Visnauskas spent the latter half of 2013 as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). She had served as Deputy Commissioner at HPD prior to her 2013 appointment. At HPD, she oversaw the annual production goals of the agency's housing plan to finance 165,000 units of affordable housing by the end of 2014. She has now taken charge of Robin Hood's efforts to address the needs of low-income households and impact the amount of affordable housing in New York City. We're thrilled to see Ms. Visnauskas move to such a terrific foundation, and we look forward to our ongoing efforts together to improve the lives of vulnerable New Yorkers.
Dr. Nirav Shah announced his resignation last month as New York State's Health Commissioner. Dr. Shah will remain in the post until June. Confirmed in 2011, Dr. Shah has acted as an instrumental figure in New York's trailblazing efforts to link supportive housing with Medicaid cost savings. Under his leadership, the Medicaid Redesign Team Supportive Housing Program was established with an annual funding stream that this year grew to $95 million. The new funding helps create supportive housing for high-cost Medicaid recipients. He will soon begin serving as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. Howard Zucker, the agency's First Deputy Commissioner, will serve as Interim Commissioner. We're sad to see Dr. Shah leave his post and thank him for his service in support of supportive housing.
Mark Johnston has retired from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Until last week, Mr. Johnston served as Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at the agency. Mr. Johnston oversaw several programs that impact the supportive housing community, including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). He also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs, a position in which he helped shape housing policies that addressed homeless people, veterans and other vulnerable groups. In previous roles, Mr. Johnston served as HUD's Senior Advisor on Homelessness and as Deputy Director at the US Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). It has been our pleasure to work with Mr. Johnston over the years. His knowledge of federal homelessness policy is unparalleled, and we hope he keeps his promise to stay engaged in the fight to end homelessness nationwide.
Connie Sanderson will join PathStone next month as the organization's new Senior Housing Developer. Ms. Sanderson arrives at PathStone after having served as Continuum of Care Programs Coordinator at the Homeless Alliance of Western New York. At PathStone, she will focus her work on the development of new supportive housing projects and partnerships. Ms. Sanderson has previously worked at Sojourner House, another Network member, among several other organizations. We congratulate her on this wonderful new position!
Jamin Sewell has joined the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies as its Counsel and Managing Director for Policy and Advocacy. Mr. Sewell comes to the Coalition from The Advance Group, where he served as Director of Lobbying and Government Relations. He has previously served as Counsel to former NYC Council Member Oliver Koppell, who at the time chaired the Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disability Services. In his new role, Mr. Sewell will be responsible for monitoring and managing the Coalition's legislative, regulatory, policy and budget agendas on all levels of government. We look forward to working with him on our joint advocacy efforts.
Jolie Milstein has started work as the new President and CEO of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH). Ms. Milstein's move to NYSAFAH comes after six fruitful years as Director of Real Estate at Praxis Housing Initiatives, another Network member. Ms. Milstein served as the key staff person at Praxis in charge of supportive housing development. Her last project at Praxis, a supportive housing residence on White Plains Road in the Wakefield section of the Bronx, will begin receiving tenants later this month. We're excited to see Ms. Milstein take the reins at NYSAFAH and look forward to continuing our work with her in the years to come.
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