Celebrating our Social Workers!

Happy Social Work Appreciation Month!

This past month, we celebrated our team for Social Work Appreciation Month 💖

One month is not nearly enough time to recognize the hard work our New Ground social workers dedicate to transforming the lives of Long Island's Veterans and families.

To our social workers, thank you for all you do – for not just your clients – but for the community as a whole.

Now Presenting:

New Ground's 35th Anniversary Interview Series

In commemoration of this 35th Anniversary, we launched a special project to celebrate not only New Ground's successes over the years, but the individuals who helped make it happen.

In the spirit of Social Work Appreciation Month, we wanted to sit with two of our social workers, Juliana Fodera and Victoria Liuzzi, and their time with New Ground.

Stay tuned for the next interview to be released in April!

35th Anniversary Series

Good News Story

A single mom of 2 boys has been working with New Ground for over three years. When she joined the JumpStart Program, the family was in a homeless shelter for over a year. She had struggled connecting with workers at other agencies, and at first, experienced the same challenges with her New Ground Social Worker. Over the following months, however, things shifted when she began to trust the help being offered. She saw that she was welcomed every week and her Social Worker was focused on helping her move forward – as opposed to revisiting her past and blaming her for her difficulties. Together they celebrated even her smallest accomplishments, giving her the courage to tackle the bigger challenges, too.

With our support, she enrolled and completed a vocational program in the healthcare industry, obtained a job, and applied for numerous housing opportunities. Her sons attended our Reading Program weekly for homework help and to improve their reading skills. Their consistency and dedication ensured their promotion each June. When mom completed her school program, she invited her Social Worker to attend the graduation ceremony. It was an exciting day for everyone – and our Social Worker cheered as loudly as her sons when mom received her credential.

Last summer, she and her pre-teen sons moved into their first apartment in years! The family is continuing to work with New Ground for the coming months to ensure they can maintain their permanent housing well into the future.