| 20 April 2010 |
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 State Advocacy Update: Senate, Assembly leaders visit supportive housing
Last week, New York State Assemblyman Keith Wright and Senator Daniel Squadron showed their support for supportive housing by visiting three Network members' buildings in their districts. Hosted by the Network, Jericho Project, Housing & Services, Inc. and Common Ground, the visits served as a chance for the officials to see residences and hear from constituents whose lives have been transformed by supportive housing programs now threatened by deep cuts in the State budget that continues to be negotiated in Albany.
Assemblyman Wright
 On Thursday, April 15th, Assemblyman Wright, Chair of the NYS Assembly Social Services Committee, toured Jericho House, which provides services and housing to 56 men and women, and The Cecil, which provides permanent housing to 89 formerly-homeless, single adults living in their own apartments, both in Harlem.
On Friday, April 16th, Senator Squadron, Chair of the NYS Senate Standing Committee on Social Services, toured a new supportive housing building currently under construction, Common Ground's The Lee, located on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The new state-of-the-art complex will be home to 263 residents, including adults with special needs and low-income working adults; 54 units will be reserved for young adults aging out of foster care and at risk of homelessness.
Senator Squadron with Network
and Common Ground staff
The site visits were part of ongoing efforts by the Network and
its members to maintain awareness about the importance of key funding streams threatened by state budget cuts. Last month, Network members, staff and allies converged in Albany to press for budget restorations to supportive housing programs, including SRO Support Services, Supported Housing for Families and Young Adults (SHFYA), and the Department of Health AIDS Institute New York/New York III supportive housing program. Over fifty members, tenants and allies joined Network staff in meetings with over thirty Senators, Assembly members and their staff on March 18th. Network staff and members also met with officials from Department of Budget.
The day's events included a brief address by NYS Office of Mental Heath Commissioner Michael Hogan as well as remarks by Norreida Reyes, a staff member for Senate Housing Committee Chair Pedro Espada; Cecilia Tkaczyk, Senior Legislative Analyst for Housing in the Senate Housing Committee and former Network staff member; Network Executive Director Ted Houghton; and State Advocacy Consultant Hilary Morgan.
Since the March 18th advocacy day, the Network has continued to meet with legislators and their staff in the Senate and the Assembly as well as a range of staff from the Governor's office, Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Division of Housing and Community Renewal, Office of Mental Health, Department of Health and the Division of Budget. In addition, Network members have written letters and made thousands of phone calls to local representatives and legislative leaders in both the Senate and Assembly asking for full restoration of SHFYA, SRO and NY/NY III Agreement funds. Network member Volunteers of America merits special attention for mobilizing its staff and tenants. The Network has also partnered with multiple providers to continue office visits with legislators and staff in Albany over the past several weeks.
We thank Assemblyman Wright and Senator Squadron for taking time to visit supportive housing and for all of their efforts to secure restorations to supportive housing. With the State continuing to face a large budget deficit, it is more essential than ever that supportive housing programs continue to be funded in order to maintain substantial cost savings in other State expenditures on emergency services. We urge members with SRO Support Services, SHFYA and AIDS Institute funding to contact their representatives - and legislative leadership - in the Senate and Assembly. For more information on these programs and the proposed cuts, visit www.shnny.org/2010StateBudget.html.
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| The Network welcomes new faces
The Network is pleased to welcome new additions to our 2010 Board of Directors, Steering Committee and staff. Together these leaders will help the Network continue to grow and promote supportive housing as the answer to homelessness.
Deborah VanAmerongen and Tim Marx join Network Board of Directors At its March 17th meeting, the Network's Board of Directors elected new board members Deborah VanAmerongen, Strategic Policy Advisor at Nixon Peabody, and Tim Marx, Executive Director of Common Ground Community.
Deborah VanAmerongen began work at the law firm Nixon Peabody early this year, following a remarkable three-year tenure as Commissioner of the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR). Ms. VanAmerongen's commitment to supportive housing led to a number of critical policy shifts at DHCR. In her first year as Commissioner, she created a supportive housing set-aside in the Qualified Allocation Plan that led to an almost three-fold increase from 2007 to 2008 in the proportion of DHCR-funded units dedicated to supportive housing. Under her leadership, DHCR streamlined its awards process, explicitly included supportive housing as an integral part of its mission, and strengthened its support for energy-efficient and green measures in affordable housing. Her leadership brought substantial new resources, attention and energy to the State's affordable housing efforts during a tenure that turned DHCR into one of the best-run agencies in the Spitzer-Paterson administrations. For her extraordinary efforts, the Network named Ms. VanAmerongen its 2009 Government Partner of the Year. In her new role at Nixon Peabody, Ms. VanAmerongen continues to promote affordable housing development by advising developers, owners and managers of affordable residences and their financial partners. The Network is sure to benefit from her incisive expertise and perspective on all issues related to housing development and finance.
Common Ground Community (CGC) Executive Director Tim Marx joins the Network's Board with a broad array of experience in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. He has been Executive Director of CGC since November of 2008, where he oversees over 2,000 units of supportive and affordable housing, as well as innovative street outreach and other engagement programs. Under Mr. Marx's leadership, CGC will open three new residences containing 525 units this year. Before coming to Common Ground, Tim served as Commissioner of Minnesota's Housing Finance Agency for five years, leading its innovative work in supportive housing, and implementing a 4,000-unit plan to end homelessness. He has also served as Deputy Mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota, and has worked as an attorney in private practice.
New Network Steering Committee members The Network also welcomes four new members to its Steering Committee: Vince Christmas, CEO of St. John's Community Housing; Jessica Katz, Executive Director of Lantern Organization; Angelia Smith-Wilson, Vice President of Volunteers of America-Western New York; and Ernesto Vigoreaux, Director of Housing Development for Comunilife.
Vince Christmas is CEO of St. John's Community Housing, a Bronx Network member that has been providing supportive housing for over 17 years. Mr. Christmas has served on the Network's Board of Directors for the past 3 years, and has agreed to continue contributing to the Network's leadership and direction on its 2010 Steering Committee. He has extensive experience developing and operating supportive housing for both families and adults. Prior to leading St. John's, Mr. Christmas was Director of Housing for the New York City Department of Mental Health, where he oversaw the development of supportive housing programs under the first NY/NY Agreement.
Last fall, after six years as Director of Special Needs Housing at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Jessica Katz became Executive Director of Lantern Organization, a Network member with 16 buildings and 1,230 units in its portfolio and pipeline. While at HPD, Ms. Katz was responsible for an annual supportive housing project pipeline of over $100 million and 500 units. A highly respected partner of the Network for years, she has already contributed much insight and energy to Network activities over the past few months. We are very pleased welcome her in her new role as Executive Director of a member organization.
Angelia Smith-Wilson currently serves as Vice President of Community & Housing Programs at Volunteers of America-Western New York, located in Rochester. She has over 17 years of experience in the human services field, and holds a Master's degree in social work as well as CASAC certification. An active member of her community, Mrs. Smith-Wilson is an Advisory Committee member of Rochester's Homeless Services Network; she also serves on the Monroe County Continuum of Care. Ms. Smith-Wilson represented New York as State Captain at the National Alliance to End Homelessness 2009 lobby day, and has been a committed and skilled advocate in both Washington and Albany.
Ernesto J. Vigoreaux is the Director of Housing Development for Comunilife, Inc., in New York City. Mr. Vigoreaux has extensive experience in community economic and supportive housing development. He began his career as Director of Housing and Community Economic Development for the Thai Community Development Center in Los Angeles. He was also the Director of Housing Development for Housing Operations and Geriatric Association Resources, Inc. in the South Bronx as well as Project Manager and Real Estate Development Consultant for the Hudson Planning Group. He is on the Board of Directors of Asian Americans for Equality.
Network hires great new staff in key positions
Finally, after a year of working long hours short-handed, the Network staff is thrilled to welcome Maclain Berhaupt as our new State Advocacy Director and Edeana Martinez as the Network's new Administrative Assistant.
Maclain joins the Network from Western New York, where she has pursued an accomplished career in community development and public finance. She has served as the Executive Director of both the Chadwick Bay Regional Development Corporation, and, more recently, the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation. In these positions, she garnered millions of dollars in contributions for local development projects while developing close relationships with local and state officials. As the Director of Development for the City of Dunkirk in Chautauqua County, she oversaw the city's Local Development Corporation, Industrial Development Agency, and Community Development Block Grant programs, while reporting to the Mayor for project management, budgeting and communications responsibilities. Already, Maclain is making an impact as the new, dynamic leader of the Network's efforts to restore critical supportive housing service funds in Albany. Edeana comes to the Network following nearly four years as an administrative assistant at a growing food service company, much of it acquired while she completed a bachelor's degree in business administration from the College of Mount St. Vincent. Her experience in a broad range of administrative responsibilities and ability to jump right into projects has already made her an integral part of the staff. We encourage you to reach out to both Maclain and Edeana for anything you need in their perspective areas of responsibility. They can be reached at mberhaupt@shnny.organd emartinez@shnny.org.
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Brian Lawlor named DHCR Commissioner and President/CEO of "nyhomes"
In early April, Governor Paterson announced the appointment of Brian Lawlor as Commissioner of the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) and President and CEO of "nyhomes," the state's affordable housing bank that comprises New York State's Housing Finance Agency and the State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA) as well as other state affordable housing entities. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Lawlor had been serving as Acting Commissioner of DHCR following the departure of former Commissioner Deborah VanAmerongen in December.
Mr. Lawlor brings over twenty-five years of housing experience to the position. In addition to his recent tenure as Acting Commissioner, he served as Executive Deputy Commissioner of the agency from 2007 through 2009. In both positions, he helped foster increased coordination and collaboration between the state's housing agencies, a process he plans to continue in his new, dual role.
"The economic downturn has created a number of challenges for the affordable housing community, making it more important than ever before that the State's housing agencies work together to help build, preserve and protect our affordable housing stock," said Mr. Lawlor. "I am honored to have been selected by the Governor and the Board of Directors of nyhomes to lead this effort."
As President and CEO of nyhomes, Mr. Lawlor fills the post vacated by Priscilla Almodovar in December. He sits on the boards of the New York State Housing Finance Agency, the State of New York Mortgage Agency, the Affordable Housing Corporation, the Homeless Housing Assistance Corporation and the Harlem Community Development Corporation.
The move drew praise from many in the supportive and affordable housing community, including Network Executive Director Ted Houghton.
"Commissioner Lawlor's knowledge of the State's affordable housing programs is second to none. He is the perfect person to lead and coordinate the State's housing efforts," Mr. Houghton said. "We look forward to working with him to protect New Yorkers from the worst effects of the dire fiscal outlook New York State currently faces."
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Network ramps up New York City budget advocacy
Since the release of Mayor Bloomberg's Preliminary Budget, the Network has been engaged in an array of behind-the-scenes advocacy efforts to prevent cuts to supportive housing capital and service dollars. Meetings with Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs, staff from Speaker Christine Quinn's office, and staff from Council Member Annabel Palma's office, who chairs the General Welfare Committee, have helped the Network raise concerns about potential cuts to HASA on-site supportive housing case managers, HASA case managers, and SRO Support Services.
In March, Network Policy Director Nicole Branca highlighted these issues publicly through testimony to City Council Committees on the Preliminary Budget. On March 8th, Nicole gave testimony to council members on the General Welfare Committee about the supportive housing cuts at HRA/HASA and DHS. Prior to the meeting, we also worked with committee staff and members to make certain that commissioners answered specific questions about cuts to supportive housing. On March 16th, Nicole testified before Housing Committee Chair Erik Martin Dilan and committee members about delays in the NY/NY III capital development pipeline and the need for increased HPD capital funds to meet the goals of the agreement. Nicole also asked that the Council consider increasing the number of Project Advocates at the Department of Buildings to assist supportive housing projects in applying for building permits, filing for inspections, and receiving certificates of occupancy.
On April 8th, the New York City Council released their response to the Mayor's Preliminary Budget for fiscal year 2011. The response summarizes presentations by commissioners on the preliminary budget to various council committees, as well as questions posed by committee chairs and members. The General Welfare Committee section offers some insight into proposed cuts to DHS and HRA/HASA that are of most concern to the council.
The Mayor's Executive Budget must be released by May 6th, likely after the state budget is finalized. The Executive Budget will offer a clearer picture of cuts that will impact supportive housing programs. City Council hearings on the budget will happen between May 13th and June 8th. The Network will again speak before the City Council during one day scheduled for public testimony. We will be looking to invite providers to attend meetings with Council Members who play a central role in the budget negotiation process. The Network will follow up with members on ways to get involved in advocacy efforts to protect NYC supportive housing service funding.
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Network Green Housing Initiatives: WEATHERIZE NOW!
Over thirty Supportive Housing providers have responded to outreach from the Network and the Association for Energy Affordability (AEA) as we work to weatherize 1260 units of supportive housing under the recently awarded DHCR Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) grant. As of this month, providers with a total of 468 units of supportive housing have completed their applications and started the weatherization process; another 900 units are in AEA's 'pipeline' - which means that WAP applications are in discussion or under consideration by the provider organization. In addition, AEA, through their weatherization network, have been able to refer over 700 units of supportive housing to other local agencies for weatherization. AEA and the Supportive Housing Network will continue to keep in touch with the progress of projects that are referred.
Providers in the targeted grant area - Rockland, Westchester, New York City, and Long Island - that are interested in weatherizing their residences are encouraged to begin the process immediately; we are already nearly four months into an eighteen month grant. Weatherization funds are allocated on a first come-first served basis, and the process only begins once the application is filled out.
Furthermore, we have learned from DHCR that additional weatherization funds are available if, in addition to presenting enough definite units on this grant, we demonstrate a clear-cut need for more weatherization funding. It would then be possible for AEA and the Network to apply for this additional weatherization funding for supportive housing; but we must first have significantly more applications in hand.
Theoretically, this should be no problem: we have already identified more than 5000 units that would benefit from weatherization in just these past few months. The issue is time: unless these funds are spent down by June 2011 they disappear.
We urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to marshal your resources and call us. This is a great, although time-sensitive, opportunity to utilize federal funding to improve your buildings, your tenants' quality of life and lower your operating costs.
If you are housing provider that is not located within the AEA/Network targeted grant (Rockland, Westchester, New York City, Long Island), you should contact your local weatherization provider. For more information call Ariel Krasnow, 646-619-9640 x649 or email her: akrasnow@shnny.org.
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Battery Park City Authority reaches agreement to fund budget relief, affordable housing
On Monday, April 1st, the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) approved an agreement that gives New York City and State $200 million each from its coffers to fill budget gaps, while also securing $400 million for affordable housing development in the next seven years. The agreement ends a contentious series of negotiations begun in late 2008 when Governor Paterson asked the BPCA for $270 million to help fill state budget shortfalls. Funded by rents paid by commercial real estate tenants on publicly owned Battery Park City land, the fund was earmarked to support affordable housing development in New York City, but it has often been used to fill City budget gaps.
Following Governor Paterson's request for BPCA dollars, affordable housing advocates orchestrated a sustained campaign to maintain the Authority's commitment to funding affordable housing. Working with partners in New York City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the City Council and the Office of the Comptroller, the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD) and New York Communities for Change (formerly ACORN) spearheaded an effort by housing advocates including Housing First!and the Network to secure a compromise that explicitly directs BPCA funds to the New York City Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Speaking about the agreement last week, ANHD Executive Director Benjamin Dulchin said, "It was a good outcome that quickly ensures that there will be adequate funding for affordable housing in New York City. It's not perfect, but it's definitely a win for affordable housing in the city."
The payments approved on April 1st closely reflected a proposal put forth in a February letter signed by representatives from ANHD, the Network, Housing First!, New York State Association for Affordable Housing, Enterprise Community Partners, ACORN, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and Habitat for Humanity. Most importantly, the agreement includes a commitment of $400 million - $200 million to be borrowed by the city and repaid by BPCA, and $200 million matched by City funds - for affordable housing between now and 2017. The plan also directs an additional $200 million from future BPCA revenues to affordable housing. The Network and its allies thank our partners at HPD and the Comptroller's Office as well as State Senators Liz Krueger and Daniel Squadron for their leadership on this front.
More information on the agreement can be found in the New York Observer's article on the subject.
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Senator Schumer leads letter campaign to fully fund the HEARTH Act
Last week, while the Network was in Washington DC, Senator Charles Schumer released a "Dear Colleague" letter requesting $2.4 billion in funding to fully implement the Homelessness and Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. This legislation makes changes to the McKinney-Vento Act that will improve the work of Continuums of Care and participating agencies. Senator Schumer is joined in this bipartisan effort by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). We were also assured that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will sign on to this effort.
You can read the letter here.
A similar letter was circulated in the House last month and signed by seven New York Representatives: Yvette Clarke, Eliot Engel, Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler, Louise Slaughter, Edolphus Towns, and Nydia Velazquez. Also, four of our New York Representatives on the Appropriations Committee are supporting this level of funding: Maurice Hinchey, Steve Israel, Nita Lowey, and Jose Serrano.
The Network thanks all of our committed partners in Congress for their support of this critical legislation and funding.
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Community Access hosts Robert Whitaker, national expert on psychiatric drugs and rising incidence of mental illness, this Thursday
Community Access invites you to the National Arts Club this Thursday, April 22 for Robert Whitaker's presentation and discussion of his new book: Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America. Whitaker is a Pulitzer Prize finalist whose works often explore the dichotomy between holistic approaches to recovery from mental illness and drug therapies. In Anatomy of an Epidemic, the author masterfully shapes a narrative history of science and medicine that ultimately raises the unsettling question: Could a drug-based paradigm of care, in some unforeseen way, be fueling a rise in mental illness cases in America? Whitaker carefully documents an answer to that question for four major psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder). He offers a compelling analysis based on evidence from fifty years of outcome studies for each illness. Mr. Whitaker's thought-provoking presentation will challenge many of our assumptions about psychiatric care in the 21st century.
Those interested in attending should visit Community Access' speaker series web page: www.communityaccess.org/speaker-series.
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DHS Commissioner Hess leaves agency to work for The Doe Fund
On Monday, April 19th, Mayor Bloomberg announced that NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) Commissioner Rob Hess had resigned, and that his post would be filled by Seth Diamond, Executive Deputy Commissioner of the NYS Human Resources Administration (HRA). Mr. Hess told the Mayor last month that he had accepted a senior position at Network member The Doe Fund. During his four years as DHS Commissioner, Mr. Hess led efforts to improve street outreach and increase housing placements while contending with the worst economic downturn in a generation. Commissioner Diamond has spent much of his career overseeing the Bloomberg administration's welfare reform efforts in New York City, most recently leading HRA's Family Independence Administration.
The Network wishes both Mr. Hess and Commissioner Diamond well in their new positions, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to end homelessness in New York.
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HUD releases draft definitions for HEARTH
Last May, President Obama reauthorized the McKinney-Vento program by signing the HEARTH Act. Earlier today, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the first in a series of draft rules for implementing the Act. The newly released rules, posted today in the Federal Register, are focused on HUD's revised definition of homelessness.
Draft regulations regarding the Continuum of Care programs - Shelter Plus Care, the Supportive Housing Program and SRO Mod Rehab, the Emergency Solutions Grant (formerly Emergency Shelter Grant) and the rural set-aside - are expected to be released for comment over the next few months.
The regulations released today clarify and expand the definition of homelessness, including criteria regarding youth, people living with disabilities and survivors of domestic violence. Also of note, the HEARTH Act expands - from 30 to 90 days - the amount of time that someone could spend in an institutional setting while still qualifying as homeless, and it extends the definition to include people facing eviction 14 days before they are evicted. There are also very clear guidelines on the required documentation for homelessness.
The rules can be viewed at the Federal Register online.
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State Advocacy Update: Senate, Assembly leaders visit supportive housing
Network ramps up New York City budget advocacy
Senator Schumer leads letter campaign to fully fund the HEARTH Act
Community Access hosts Robert Whitaker, national expert on psychiatric drugs and rising incidence of mental illness, this Thursday
Network Executive Director delivers keynote address at North American Housing and Special Needs Populations Conference
HUD Releases Draft
Definitions for HEARTH
