January 2022 From the CEO's Desk
Dear Friends, 
 
As we enter 2022 and acknowledge the long hard walk that we are still on with the pandemic, I want to take a moment to thank our friends and volunteers who continue to support CHI and the families and individuals we at CHI serve during this difficult time. We are fortunate to have hundreds of community partners and volunteers providing clothing, toiletries, warm holiday meals and gifts throughout the year and especially during the holidays. We couldn’t be on this quest to end homelessness and provide shelter, affordable housing and homeownership without your partnership and commitment. Thank you.
 
Another point of note is that January is National Poverty Awareness Month. In 1964 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, ‘A second evil which plagues the modern world is that of poverty…Almost two-thirds of the peoples of the world go to bed hungry at night. They are undernourished, ill-housed, and shabbily clad. Many of them have no houses or beds to sleep in.’
 
While progress has been made since Dr. King’s 1964 remarks, we are still in crisis—a crisis of homelessness, housing instability and affordable housing. In New York State over 2.5M people live in poverty--18% are children. At CHI we know the solution--quality affordable housing is the catalyst for upward mobility and the creation of generational wealth.
 
Our goal at CHI is to help people attain the American dream of housing stability and homeownership. While we will continue to provide emergency housing to thousands of New Yorkers nightly, we have our sights set on creating solutions to the barriers that keep our friends and neighbors from realizing the dream of secure employment, affordable housing, and homeownership. In 2022 we are committed to offering new financial literacy and workforce readiness programs, continuing to offer foreclosure counseling, homeownership grants up to $40,000 as well as warm hand-offs to critical wrap-around services like primary care, mental health and substance abuse services for many.
 
Thank you for being our ally in this fight to end homelessness and increase upward mobility.
 
Sincerely,
Ron
Volunteer Spotlight

Volunteers make the difference! CHI is fortunate to have many community organizations and members provide basic necessities, warm clothes, hot holiday meals and presents to our clients living in emergency and temporary housing. We want to give a special thank you to an anonymous donor and friends who for the past three years have donated 80 pairs of men’s socks to our Hudson Valley shelters. Each pair is festively wrapped and topped with a candy cane. Thank you to our anonymous holiday helpers! 
Staff Spotlight

For our first Leadership Spotlight we are featuring the fantastically skilled Compliance and Quality Assurance Manager, Melanie Rowe. Melanie began her journey with CHI in 2018 and handles a diverse portfolio of responsibilities including audits, data analysis, managing incident/accident tracking, and supervising a team of 22 Per Diem Resident Support Specialists. In addition, Melanie serves on several committees and chairs the Communications/Media committee. Thank you, Melanie, for being a CHI superhero ensuring that our clients have the resources they need to break the cycle of poverty and find a place to call home. 
Thinking About Buying a Home?
Up to $40,000 in Down Payment Assistance Available to Buy Your First Home
 
CHI offers grant assistance to first-time home buyers toward the down payment and rehabilitation costs associated with purchasing a home in Westchester and on Long Island. To find out if you qualify, please register and attend an upcoming orientation webinar.

Find out more and sign up for our January orientations HERE

November Employee of the Month
Kim Hill joined CHI in 2005. For over fourteen years she held several different positions and in 2019 was promoted to become the agency's Fleet Coordinator. Kim is extremely dedicated, supportive, and willing to assist all departments. Often volunteering to work late into the evening delivering supplies to programs, Kim also covers shifts at the sites as needed. Ensuring that clients are safely transported to their destinations, Kim plays a vital role at CHI. Thank you Kim and Congratulations! 
JOIN OUR TEAM! We have positions open throughout Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester.