Welcome to Jericho Project’s first E-newsletter! This is a new way of sharing organizational updates and news with you. Each quarter, you'll receive informative updates about programmatic initiatives, new editorials, as well as updates on future programs and grants, events, staff related news and partnership updates.
In this issue:
                                   
  • Virtual Gala 2021 Highlights
  • Humbler x Jericho IG Live
  • Ustreat Comedy Benefit for Jericho Project
  • Jericho in the Media
  • Juneteenth Day of Service
  • Jericho Receives 4.8M Grant from the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP)
  • Op-Ed by Kai Ka’anana, Career Counselor, JVEP, Jericho Project
  • Wharton Business School x Jericho Project
  • COVID- 19 Vaccination Campaign
  • Jericho Project CARF Accreditation 2021 + Guidestar Gold Seal of Transparency
  • Press Release: Jericho Project Welcomes CFO and COO of charity: water Aditi Deeg to Its Board
  • Jericho Project Partner Updates: New Partnership: Joy J Initiative + Jericho Project
  • Jericho Project's Associate Board is Currently Recruiting
Development and Communications
Virtual Gala 2021: Highlights
Jericho Project’s Virtual Gala honoring CEO Tori Lyon’s 25 Years of Leadership raised over $230,000 towards supporting housing and employment and wellness services. The program was emceed by NBC 4 New York’s Natalie Pasquarella, and featured testimonials, a Comedy Show and a Broadway rendition of Rent!
Missed the program? No worries, you can watch the full program here on our YouTube Page!
Humblr x Jericho Project IG Live: Jericho Project's Adriana Rodriguez speaks to CEO of Humblr.co Adam Ignotofsky
Chief Program Officer, Adriana Rodriguez-Baptiste, spoke to Adam Ignotofsky the creator and founder of Humbler.co on their IG Live series- "The Give-Back". Humbler.co is a ticket hosting platform which provides tickets to an array of nonprofit events, including our Virtual Gala 2021!

The Give-Back mission highlights worthwhile causes by providing a stage for charitable organizations and volunteers to tell their stories. Viewers also learn how to get more directly involved with their community.

Adriana discussed Jericho Project’s programming in great detail, including information about our Virtual Gala, how we responded to and weathered the pandemic, future programmatic goals, and more!

You can view the IG Live here!
Comedy Benefit for Jericho Project: Ustreat Comedy + Humblr.co
Last Place on Earth Comedy Show - The Jericho Project!


Ustreat CEO Stephen Campbell hosted a live comedy show on Wednesday, May 5th in Brooklyn. This live comedy show consists of a few comedians coming together for a night of laughs and takes place every week. For this show, Ustreat and Humblr (the ticket hosting website) have donated a portion of their ticket sales to the Jericho Project!

The line up included:
1. Nore Davis (Comedy Central / Comedy Trap
2. House) Raanan Hershberg (CONAN) Kenice
3. Mobley (Jimmy Fallon) Alex Kayhart Max Fine
4. Nick Hopping ++ Special Guests!


Interested in attending events like this? Follow us on FB to stay up to date with all things Jericho!
Jericho in the Media!: CBS Sunday Morning Special + Upcoming Features
On May 23rd, Jericho Project was featured during CBS Sunday Morning’s Home and Home segment which highlighted the efficacy and challenges of the Housing First Model.  Our very own Chief Program Officer, Adriana Rodriguez-Baptiste, along with a tenant from our Kingsbridge Terrace residence, were included in this segment. Filmed at our Walton House residence, they both did a tremendous job of representing Jericho Project and treating the story with the respect it deserved. A total of 4.8-million viewers tuned in for the show.  
WFUV-FM: Adriana Rodriguez-Baptiste has also taped a segment on Jericho’s work for WFUV’s “Strike a Chord” campaign which highlights exceptional nonprofits in the Bronx during one-minute public service announcements. The commercials began running in May for 4-6 weeks along with news stories and other programming. Listen to it here!
 
Documentary Interview: The Birds Nest Foundation created 16-minute documentary on homelessness in New York during the COVID-19 shutdown. In this production included 3.5-minute video interview with Tori Lyon on the causes of homelessness and changes during the pandemic. Website airing TBD. Stay tuned for updates!
Juneteenth Day of Service

On Thursday, June 17th, Jericho held its first Annual #Juneteenth Day of Service! On our day of service, approximately 70 staff volunteered in different areas of NYC taking part in activities such as:
 
Gardening, park clean up, food pantry distribution, and volunteering with @habitatnyc_wc at the Kennedy Center.
 
Each of these projects took place in different boroughs such as Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. Gardening projects were held at three of Jericho's sites: Walton, West
Tremont, and Fordham. We are super excited to start this annual tradition in recognition of Juneteenth!

Follow us on IG to see photos from the day!
Jericho Project Receives a 4.8M Grant from the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP)
Jericho was awarded a $4.8M grant from the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP) of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) for the renovation and revitalization of Jericho House in Harlem. The work encompasses moderate rehabilitation including, but not limited to:

  • New kitchens and bathrooms
  • New finishes throughout, 
  • Modifying double-occupancy rooms to become singles, 
  • Redesign of the first floor to rearrange the offices and to include four new rooms, 
  • Moving the community room to the cellar, 
  • Replacement windows and storefronts, 
  • New hydronic boiler and distribution system throughout, 
  • New split a/c unit at first floor, 
  • New electrical system for lighting and power throughout,
  • New digital fire alarm system, intercom system and Closed Circuit Television Surveillance System (CCTSS) system,
  • Extension of elevator shaft to the cellar making it possible for tenants to access the laundry room and new community room,
  • Maintenance work to the facades and to the existing fire escapes, and 
  • New trash chute, trash room, and compactor.

Fun fact: Jericho Project was awarded HHAP funds over 30 years ago to renovate the building when it was purchased in 1990. 
Op-Ed: The Unsung Gain from Stimulus Package: More Jobs for Veterans
By Kai Ka’anana, Career Counselor, JVEP, Jericho Project
Op-Ed from Jericho's very own Kai Ka’anana, Jericho’s Veterans Employment Program Counselor, was published on the Daily News website! 

"Now that the COVID-19 stimulus bill is passed, the Biden Administration will be taking it to the American people to explain its importance. With $400 million for retraining assistance for veterans who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, it will pave the way for their employment and financial stability.  

As a Marine and formerly homeless veteran who now helps others with job readiness and placement, I also hope it opens the conversation about the real challenges leading to veteran homelessness.

I hear firsthand about the roadblocks and bureaucracy that snarl the future of so many veterans for whom the re-entry into civilian life is fraught with unexpected barriers. As I help them secure proper identification or documentation, prepare their resumes and role-play interviews, I am never far from my own memories of homelessness."

Thank you again to Kai for sharing your amazing story and for all the great work you do with our veterans! 

Click here to read the whole article!
Wharton Business School x Jericho Project
This past spring semester, the Wharton Global Research and Consulting Undergraduate Group (GRC) at the University of Pennsylvania worked with Jericho Project’s Development and Communications Department in an effort to streamline processes informed by a data-driven perspective. The GRC is committed to providing key insights for impactful and globally-minded organizations while helping Penn students develop professional skill sets.
More specifically, a student team from GRC worked with Jericho Project's DevCom team to help us focus on key research including:
  • Recommendations to Jericho on how to expand, reach, and retain its donor base, as well as how to better capture donor information
  • Produce a research report analyzing the affordable housing and homelessness giving landscape, including:
  • Market research on the biggest philanthropic players in the space.
  • Statistics and trends on most attractive donor segments and effective acquisition channels
  • Comprehensive donor analytics, including: 
  • Longitudinal trends regarding donor demographics, retention, gift size/frequency, and other variables
  • Recommendations on which donor traits to track going forward and how to effectively segment and retain donors based on data 

The projected ended in April, and the GRC group was able to meet all their deliverables as well as significantly help Jericho Project with their donor analytics and other internal projects.
COVID- 19 Vaccination Campaign
Lead by our Healthy Jericho Initiative, Jericho Project hosted their first successful vaccination event on Thursday, March 8th, where we vaccinated members of our staff, some of their family members , and our clients! As a continuation of our effort to make the vaccine readily available to all staff and clients, we hosted yet another successful Vaccination Event on Thursday, April 1st at our Walton House Residence. We are thankful for all our staff who worked hard to put this together and for our courageous staff and clients who took the important step of getting vaccinated as we collectively combat the pandemic. 
Jericho Project CARF Accreditation 2021 + Guidestar Gold Seal of Transparency
For the past three years, Jericho Project’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program has proudly been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), an organization that dictates and requires adherence to the highest standards in the industry. However, in order to maintain our CARF accreditation, the program and organization must be surveyed once every three years. CARF completed their tri-annual survey, and we are excited to announce that not only did we pass but we did so with a perfect score – something only a handful of organizations have managed to do. We want to extend our thanks and appreciation to all staff who helped prepare for and took part in this process.

Learn more about CARF.
Press Release:
Jericho Project Welcomes CFO and COO of charity: water Aditi Deeg to Its Board
Press Release: Jericho Project, a nationally-acclaimed nonprofit ending homelessness at its roots, has welcomed Aditi Deeg, Chief Financial and Operating Officer at charity: water and strategic nonprofit leader, to its Board of Directors.

"At a time when Jericho Project is growing while facing the challenges of a global pandemic, we are honored to have Aditi Deeg bring her extensive leadership experience to our Board. We welcome her tremendous talent in achieving financial efficiencies while motivating teams with optimism as we move forward as an organization," said Mimi Boublik, Jericho Project Board President.

Jericho Project has been expanding its Board of Directors over the past year to ensure that the 38-year-old nonprofit continues to address the deepening needs of those hardest hit by the COVID health crisis. Serving 2,500 New Yorkers annually, its dedicated programs for veterans, young – largely LGBTQ – adults and families will be vital to the City’s ability to rebound.

"Jericho Project’s mission to find effective solutions to end homelessness is close to my heart. Now as we see the rise of homelessness all around us, I am honored to be joining the Jericho Board to transform the lives of those who need our help," Deeg said.

You can find the rest of the article here and read the previous OP-ED here.
Jericho Project Partner Updates:
New Partnership: Joy J Initiative + Jericho Project
Jericho Project was happy to receive in-kind donations from the JoyJ Initiative in 2020, and again in 2021. The organization provides essential support to local populations in need through direct outreach programs. The donations that Jericho received included reusable shopping bags, school supplies, cosmetics, brushes, mouthwash, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks, hat & scarf combo sets. The donations made such an impact on the lives of the men, women, and children that Jericho serves.
Jericho Project's Associate Board is Currently Recruiting!
Learn How You Can Apply
Our Associate Board is a way for rising professionals, to bring their passion and philanthropic power of young professionals together to assist Jericho in maximizing the positive impact on the wellbeing of our city’s most vulnerable populations. They contribute to Jericho’s mission of ending homelessness in New York City through volunteerism, fundraising and networking. Associate Board members enjoy exclusive benefits including fun social opportunities with other young professionals and volunteer opportunities. 

If you are interested in joining the Associate Board or wanted more information, please contact Nadia Rahman, Development and Communications Associate at [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
Have any questions, comments, or want to be featured in this new space? Please send an email to [email protected]. We are excited to hear from you!