Newsfeed Category: New York City

Grand Opening Held for Hour Children Apartment House III

May.08.2014

It was a celebratory day in Queens yesterday as Hour Children commemorated the grand opening of its third supportive housing residence.

Hour Children Apartment House III provides housing and services for 18 highly vulnerable families in the neighborhood of Long Island City. This pristine new residence houses 16 formerly homeless families through the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement and two low-income families from the community. As in all of its supportive housing residences, Hour Children placed an emphasis on housing formerly incarcerated mothers and their children with its new project. The residence first opened its doors late last year and has already begun to flourish as a home for some of our neediest families.

Yesterday’s ribbon-cutting was a festive, colorful affair marked by guest speeches, prayer, song and dance. The event began with introductory remarks from Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, the CNN Hero and Executive Director of Hour Children. Her remarks gave way to the National Anthem, as sung by students from VOICE Charter School. A pastor from the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer then led the many partners and friends of the residence in a brief prayer.

NYC Mayor’s 10-Year Housing Plan Urges Investment in Supportive Housing

May.05.2014

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio today issued “Housing New York,” a plan to build or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years. The plan offers innovative strategies to increase affordability and broad unit production goals, including a plan to work with New York State to expand supportive housing development. Mayor de Blasio unveiled his housing plan at 262 Ashland Place, the site of a mixed-income housing project currently in development by Gotham Development Corporation and Network members Common Ground and The Actor’s Fund.

“Housing New York” outlines over 50 proposals to develop or preserve these new units of affordable housing. The plan states that supportive housing should serve an integral role in the fight to end homelessness and create new housing opportunities for vulnerable New Yorkers. It specifically advocates for the creation of a new supportive housing agreement between New York City and New York State as a follow up to the successful, 10-year New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement that is ending next year.

The Network fully supports this critical proposal to expand access to supportive housing across New York City.
 
“Mayor de Blasio’s housing plan provides the exact solutions we need to end our city’s record levels of homelessness,” said Ted Houghton, Executive Director of the Supportive Housing Network of New York. “This crisis calls for a robust investment in supportive housing and other housing options for homeless, disabled and very low-income individuals and families. The housing plan released today will work toward those goals. We’re especially pleased that the plan calls for a new City-State initiative to expand upon the successes of the previous New York/New York Agreements.”

Odyssey House Opens Tinton Avenue Residence

Apr.25.2014

Odyssey House has opened its second supportive housing residence in just one month. Yesterday marked the ribbon-cutting for Odyssey House Tinton Avenue, a brand-new supportive housing project in the Bronx. The residence houses 65 formerly homeless individuals through the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement.

Odyssey House opened Soundview Avenue, home to 56 formerly homeless people in the Bronx, on April 10. The nonprofit now operates three supportive housing for the vulnerable men and women of New York.

Yesterday’s festivities featured remarks from several partners and friends. Among those to take the microphone were senior staff at Odyssey House, Moira Tashjian of the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) and Adrienne, a tenant at Tinton Avenue. Adrienne spoke of her experiences on the street and her life now in a newly-constructed supportive housing residence.

“When you’re in a shelter, you’re not living; you’re merely existing. Now I have a chance at being more independent and reaching my goals,” Adrienne told the crowd of attendees. “I can also think more clearly and take better care of myself. It’s a joy to have some stability back in my life.”

Livonia Commons Breaks Ground

Apr.21.2014

New York City broke ground earlier this month on Livonia Commons, a 278-unit project devoted to affordable and supportive housing in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York.

This $90 million development will consist of four individual buildings on a formerly vacant lot. Fifty-one of the units offered will be set aside for supportive housing. Of those, 43 of the units will house individuals with mental illness through the NY/NY III Supportive Housing Agreement and eight will house individuals with developmental disabilities through the NYS Office for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).

Network member Dunn Development Corp. is developing the project. The formerly homeless tenants will receive on-site support services from CAMBA, another Network member.

“Livonia Commons will help revitalize the Livonia Avenue corridor with a dynamic mix of new affordable housing, retail stores and community spaces,” said Martin Dunn, Dunn Development Corp. President and a member of the Network’s Board of Directors. “Working with our community partners, we'll build the kind of innovative and holistic development that the East New York community deserves.”

“CAMBA is proud to be part of Livonia Gardens, where our staff will provide comprehensive on-site case management services to residents who are formerly homeless or have disabilities,” said Joanne M. Oplustil, CAMBA’s President and CEO. “Our clients know they always have someone nearby to help them if a crisis arises. And over many years of experience, we’ve proven that supportive housing is a cost-effective and successful approach to ending homelessness and helping tenants flourish.”

Gene Estess, Wall Street Broker Turned Homeless Advocate, Passes Away

Apr.18.2014

The Network would like to pay its respects to Gene Estess, a former leader of the supportive housing community who passed away last week. Mr. Estess served for 18 years as the Executive Director of Jericho Project, one of our longtime members, from 1987 to 2005. He also acted as Chair of the Network’s Steering Committee from 2001-2002. He was 78 years old.

“Gene had a tremendous impact on Jericho Project and on the supportive housing community, and he truly believed in the transformative change that supportive housing has on the lives of homeless individuals,” says Tori Lyon, Jericho’s Executive Director and a Network Board Member. “He cared deeply about Jericho's tenants and staff, and he will truly be missed.”

Mr. Estess’ story is a unique and inspiring one. For years, Mr. Estess worked on Wall Street as a broker for L.F. Rothschild, Unterberg, Towbin, an investment banking firm. A 1984 encounter with a homeless woman would change his life forever. Mr. Estess met Patricia, a woman living with mental illness in Grand Central Terminal. He spoke with her daily at the station and offered her money for the day. He eventually helped her receive services at Jericho Project, which at that time was still in its infancy.

A short time later, Mr. Estess quit his job on Wall Street and become the nonprofit’s Executive Director. He was 52-years-old when he made this career U-turn.

"For 20-some-odd years I really didn’t have a good day," he said in a 2003 New York Times article. "I didn’t come home with any stories to tell or satisfaction or a feeling I’d done anything to help anybody except myself and my family."

New Supportive Housing Residence Opens in the Bronx

Apr.16.2014

Roughly 100 friends and partners gathered last week for the grand opening of Odyssey House Soundview Avenue, the new home of 56 formerly homeless New Yorkers. Located in the Bronx, this supportive housing residence provides studio apartments and access to services for some of the most vulnerable men and women in New York City.

A number of guest speakers were on hand at the April 10 ribbon cutting. Among those to deliver remarks at the event were NYS Rep. Marcos Crespo, James Lupoli of the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH), a tenant at the residence and several senior staffers at Odyssey House, the nonprofit developer of the project. Soundview Avenue is one of two supportive housing residences by Odyssey House to open in April.

“Helping people faced with the challenges of mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders is our mission,” said Dr. Peter Provet, President and CEO of Odyssey House. “With the opening this spring of these two new buildings, Odyssey House currently manages the housing and supportive services needs of 171 formerly homeless New Yorkers who, despite serious mental health challenges, are now living in their own homes.”

All 56 apartments at Odyssey House Soundview Avenue were built with funding through the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement. OMH provided funding for both the construction of the residence and its operations and services. The NYS Housing Finance Agency contributed capital funding as well.

RFP Released for Second Phase of Livonia Project in Brooklyn

Apr.15.2014

Last week, HPD released a Request for Proposals for Phase II of the Livonia Avenue Initiative in East New York, Brooklyn. The RFP is for a mixed-use development on four sites in East New York. The document does not specifically mention supportive housing, but Phase I did include 51 units (out of 278 total) for supportive housing through the New York/New York III Agreement.

Proposals must have both mixed-income and affordable housing units. According to the RFP, “Proposals must include a primary financing scenario that does not include competitive financing sources,” like 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits. The competitive criteria include financial feasibility (defined as providing a range of affordability with the least subsidy), development experience, management and capacity, quality of building and urban design and a retail plan.

The pre-submission conference will be held next week on Wednesday, April 23 at 10:00am at HPD’s offices at 100 Gold Street, Room 1R. The proposal submission deadline is no later than 4:00pm on July 11, 2014.

Diane Sonde, Homeless Outreach Pioneer, Set to Retire

Apr.03.2014

May 1 will mark the retirement of a long time friend and veteran in the fight to end homelessness in NYC. Diane Sonde has been working in the field of social services and mental health, addressing issues of housing and homelessness, for over four decades. Her career started in the 1960s as a caseworker for the NYC Department of Social Services. She will soon be retiring from her position as an Assistant Deputy Commissioner at the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA)’s Customized Assistance Services.

Perhaps most notably, Ms. Sonde is credited as being one of the first New Yorkers to engage in street outreach for homeless people. On the eve of her retirement, we had the opportunity to talk with Ms. Sonde about her pioneering days doing street outreach and the many lessons she's learned from her decades of service.

Network: You began your career as a caseworker in the 1960s and ’70s. Can you tell us a little about this experience?

Diane Sonde: Working as a Protective Service worker at the Bureau of Child Welfare was an eye-opener. As a child of the sixties, I was idealistic. I wanted to work with families and prevent children from being separated from their parents. I didn't believe placing children in group homes and other types of foster care was a solution. Unfortunately, by observing the unforgettable dysfunction of a few families and the abuse they imposed on children, the likes of which I’d never seen before, it became clear this wasn’t always possible.

Network: What drew you to this line of work in the first place?

DS: There was an ad in the New York City subway system I'd see each day on my way to CCNY [City College of New York] of an elderly lady sitting on a park bench, and it asked if you wanted to help her. Frankly, it was that poster that first drew me to work at the Department of Welfare, my first job in city service.

Network Testifies Before NYC Council

Apr.02.2014

On March 24, Network staff provided testimony to the New York City Council’s Housing and Buildings Committee on the 2015 preliminary budget. We used our time before the committee to stress the importance of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)’s ongoing commitment to supportive housing. We specifically stressed for a successor agreement to New York/New York III in Mayor de Blasio’s forthcoming 200,000-unit housing plan.

The hearing was led by new Committee Chair and Council Member Jumaane Williams, who was joined by several of his fellow Council members. HPD Commissioner Vicki Been began the hearing with a report on the department’s budget. The Network was pleased to hear Commissioner Been tell the committee that supportive housing would indeed be part of the soon-to-be released housing plan.

You can read our testimony here.

The Network also testified on March 26 on the topic of a new rental subsidy program for homeless people in New York City. The Council’s Committee on General Welfare held the hearing to elicit feedback on their Resolution 123-A, which called on the Gov. Cuomo and the NYS Legislature to remove longstanding language in the budget that bars New York City from using State reimbursements for rental subsidy programs for homeless people. The Resolution also called on New York City and State to work together to create that rental subsidy program.

RIP Steven Warren, Homeless Advocate

Apr.01.2014

The Network was deeply saddened last month by the death of Steven B. Warren, a longtime member of the New York supportive housing community. Mr. Warren was the former Executive Director of Services for the UnderServed (SUS) and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Praxis Housing Initiatives. He passed away on March 21.

“Steve’s story is one of courage, conviction and accomplishment,” said Svein Jorgensen, Chief Executive Officer of Praxis Housing Initiatives. “He was a visionary and a giant in the nonprofit field. His work impacted the lives of thousands of homeless and disabled New Yorkers.”

Mr. Warren began his time in the New York human services sector in the 1980s as a program planner for Project Return (now Palladia). He then moved on to serve as Executive Director of SUS, a prominent Network member, in 1987. It was during his tenure that SUS opened The Knickerbocker, one of the first supportive housing residences in the nation for veterans. SUS has since become one of the premier housing and services providers for veterans in New York City.

Mr. Warren himself was a veteran of the Vietnam War, and it was this experience that moved him to open the Knickerbocker.