Newsfeed Category: Network Events

Emergency Preparedness Initiative—Focus on Evacuation Planning

Dec.02.2014

When superstorm Sandy hit New York City in 2012 many of our supportive housing community’s organizations, residences and tenants were deeply affected. In the summer of 2013, a group of Network members convened to discuss the community’s preparedness needs.  
 

Network Unveils Emergency Plan Templates

Nov.05.2014

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the Network last year embarked on a year-long initiative to help the supportive housing community prepare for a range of disasters. Funded by the New York City Housing and Neighborhood Recovery Donor’s Collaborative, the Network engaged EAD Associates, (EAD) a consultancy firm that focuses on integrating people with special needs into all aspects of emergency management. The Network’s emergency prep initiative aimed to create two types of emergency plan templates: an Organization Emergency Plan Template - for managing emergencies at the organization leadership level and a Congregate Residence Emergency Plan Template – which can help organizations create emergency plans for single site supportive housing residences.

These templates were unveiled November 12th – through an in-person meeting, through webinars and are now available to download from the Members Page on the Network website.

The Network’s Eleventh Annual Awards Gala Was a Spectacular Success!

Oct.31.2014

Nicole Branca addresses the crowd.

New York's supportive housing community came together on October 15th for the Network's eleventh annual Awards Gala. Nearly 600 guests joined us at Capitale, the spectacular Stanford White-designed Beaux Arts national landmark, on a blustery Wednesday evening to celebrate both the outstanding individuals of supportive housing and the community as a whole.

Despite a downpour just as the event got underway, the mood was festive during the 90 minute cocktail hour as friends and colleagues revived old friendships and forged new partnerships.

The night’s festivities continued with our awards ceremony. This year, we honored six remarkable people and one outstanding and innovative residence. Network Board Chair and Richman Housing Resources President Bill Traylor welcomed the crowd ”and issued a rousing call-to-arms, “we will create a muscular and very BIG successor for NY/NY! We will make sure that Medicaid redesign brings more resources to supportive housing tenants and not less! We will implement the spirit of Olmstead and we will not permit stifling percentages to rule over the needs of our tenants!” Then, Interim Executive Director Nicole Branca spoke about what a pleasure it had been to lead the Network during this transition period and thanked the Network staff, the Board and the community for all their support.

Network Hosts Largest Ever Supportive Housing Conference

Jun.12.2014

The news-making morning plenary at the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference on June 5, 2014.

Major government announcements, packed workshops and a cocktail reception featuring prominent elected officials were among the many highlights of the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference.

Held last Thursday in New York City, the event attracted nearly 1,600 registered friends and members of the Supportive Housing Network of New York. We’re proud to confirm that our conference was indeed the largest supportive housing event ever convened. Our full-day conference included a news-making roundtable dialogue with three of Gov. Cuomo’s closest policy advisors, special remarks from NYC Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, 23 workshops, a cocktail reception and much more. You’ll find a full overview of our day below. Follow this link or scroll down for our photo gallery from the day. To the 1,600 registered attendees: We thank you so much for helping to make this day so memorable!

The day began with introductory remarks from the Network’s senior personnel, Executive Director Ted Houghton and Board Chair Bill Traylor. NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen then took the stage to discuss Mayor Bill de Blasio’s recently-released plan to develop or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years.

The morning session ended with a barnburner: a roundtable dialogue that confirmed Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s commitment to a new City-State agreement to develop supportive housing across the state. The Governor would, for the first time, expand the agreement statewide, which is welcome news to our members outside NYC. We were honored to be the venue for the first public announcement of the Governor's plans. Fran Reiter, New York State’s Executive Deputy Director of State Operations, revealed to the standing-room-only ballroom that Gov. Cuomo has signed off on the idea of using a portion of funds from the settlement with JP Morgan Chase to finance a follow-up to the current, highly successful City-State partnership. Ms. Reiter made this announcement alongside NYS Deputy Secretaries Louisa Chafee and Courtney Burke.

“Yesterday, I got the approval to tell all of you today that the governor has signed off on the plan and will fight for this plan and will fight for a New York/New York IV,” Ms. Reiter said to thunderous applause.

Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing Launches at NYC Hall

Jun.09.2014

The crowd at the launch of Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing on May 28. Photo by Coalition for the Homeless.

The Network joined a crowd of more than 150 advocates on May 28 for the launch of Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing, a grassroots initiative to call on lawmakers to create a new New York/New York Supportive Housing Agreement.

This new coalition is urging Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio to negotiate a City-State agreement to create 30,000 units of supportive housing over the next 10 years. To date, more than 150 organizations have signed on to the campaign’s platform. You can endorse the campaign by following this link. The Network is proud to have helped launch this campaign with such organizations as Coalition for the Homeless, CSH, Enterprise Community Partners and many, many others.

You can learn more about the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing by reading these press highlights in Capital New York, New York Observer and The Real Deal.

Scott Stringer, Letitia James to Join Network Conference

Jun.03.2014

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and NYC Public Advocate Letitia James will deliver remarks at the closing cocktail reception of the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference on Thursday, June 5.

We’re thrilled to announce two just-added special guests for the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference this Thursday. Joining us to celebrate the day will be NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and NYC Public Advocate Letitia James. Both elected officials will appear at our conference cocktail reception, which kicks off at 5:00pm after a full day of workshops, on the 9th floor of the New York Marriott Marquis.

Online registration for the conference is now closed, but those interested in attending can still register by fax or email until Wednesday, June 4 at noon. If you haven’t registered yet, we urge you to do so before Wednesday!

NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer is no stranger to our supportive housing conference. During his previous post as Manhattan Borough President and as a member of the NYS Assembly, Mr. Stringer made multiple appearances at our signature annual event. He will deliver brief remarks at the reception this Thursday to cap off the largest supportive housing conference in the nation.

Ms. James, New York City’s Public Advocate, will also speak and mingle at the conference cocktail reception. Ms. James was elected Public Advocate last year after fighting for affordable housing and economic justice in the City Council for 10 years. She will be making her conference debut with us this Thursday.

Network Conference Less Than One Week Away

May.30.2014

Speakers at the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference (left to right): NYS Deputy Secretary for Health Courtney Burke, NYS Executive Deputy Director of State Operations Fran Reiter, NYS Deputy Secretary for Human Services and Information Technology Louisa Chafee, NYC Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen, NYC Council Member Stephen Levin and NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Vicki Been.

The largest supportive housing conference ever arrives next week!

If you haven't already, we hope you register today for the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference. Join more than 1,400 of your colleagues and friends on Thursday, June 5 for a full day of panels, workshops, guest speakers and much more. Online registration for the event closes Monday, June 2. Highlights include:

Morning Plenary Panel!

The conference features a very special morning plenary panel, with a rare public appearance from three important representatives from the Governor's Office. Joining us will be Executive Deputy Director of State Operations Fran Reiter, Deputy Secretary for Health Courtney Burke and Deputy Secretary for Human Services and Information Technology Louisa Chafee. These three influential State leaders will conduct a wide-ranging discussion on issues related to supportive housing, homelessness, healthcare and other challenges facing our community. We hope you’ll join us for this unique opportunity to hear from three of Governor Cuomo’s top advisors.

Just Added!

We are excited to announce that Alicia Glen, New York City's new Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, will address the morning session on behalf of Mayor Bill de Blasio. Also joining us will be two New York City Council members: Stephen Levin, Chair of the General Welfare Committee, and Jumaane D. Williams, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings. Vicki Been, the newly-appointed Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), will now also be on hand to discuss Mayor de Blasio's plan to develop or preserve 200,000 new units of affordable housing over the next 10 years.

Nation’s Largest Supportive Housing Conference Arrives June 5

May.09.2014

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.

Hundreds of you have already registered for the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference, our signature annual event here at the Supportive Housing Network of New York. In a little over four weeks, more than 1,200 of our friends and colleagues will gather at the New York Marriott Marquis for a full day of workshops, special guests, networking opportunities and much more. We’ll be offering two dozen workshops this year on a wealth of issues that impact the New York supportive housing community.

We’ll be announcing our full lineup of workshops and presenters in the weeks ahead. For now, we’d like to share with you some highlights you can expect on June 5. This year’s conference will feature:

New York State Leaders

Courtney Burke: Deputy Secretary for Health
Louisa Chafee: Deputy Secretary for Human Services and Information Technology
Jason Helgerson: Medicaid Director
Kristin Proud: Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) Commissioner
Fran Reiter: NYS Executive Deputy Director of State Operations
Darryl Towns: Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) Commissioner

New Members-Only Features Arrive at Shnny.org

May.01.2014

We're excited to announce two major changes to the Members section of our website! The newly-revamped shnny.org now allows users to create individual user accounts and join forums to discuss issues related to supportive housing. You'll find more details about these new features below. To get started, head here to create your new user login.

Personal User Accounts
Our website now allows anyone who works at one of our member organizations to create a personalized user account. Simply follow this link to complete our member registration form. Creating an account grants you access to a host of members-only features. You'll be able to post jobs to our 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.

Network Forums
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 a forum, you must first complete the member registration form linked above. You must then contact us 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 drop us a line!

Friends Gather for Network Annual Meeting

Mar.06.2014

The Network hosted old friends, announced changes to its Board of Directors and unveiled a very special new internship at its annual meeting on February 27.

More than 150 members of our community gathered at Scandinavia House in Manhattan for the event. Our 2014 annual meeting offered our colleagues a chance to reminisce, network and look toward the upcoming year – all over drinks and hors d’oeuvres from Project Renewal’s Comfort Foods.

To browse a slideshow of recently-opened supportive housing residences featured at the meeting, click here. A slideshow of 100 images from the year in supportive housing can be viewed here.

This year’s event marked several changes to the Network’s Board of Directors. The Network said both farewell and congratulations last week to Shola Olatoye, the new Chairwoman of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). Before her appointment into the de Blasio administration, Ms. Olatoye was a Vice President at Enterprise Community Partners and a member of our Board of Directors.

“Shola is just the perfect choice for NYCHA,” Network Executive Director Ted Houghton said at the event. “She knows about development, she knows about vulnerable families, she knows about New York City, she knows about neighborhoods. The mayor is so lucky to have her, and we're lucky to have her.”