Newsfeed Category: New York City

News Media Highlights Sister Tesa, Hour Children

Mar.14.2014

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, two stories were published this week on Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, the celebrated Irish American and executive director of a Queens-based supportive housing provider.

The pieces, which ran in the Wall Street Journal and Irish Central, highlight the recent opening of Hour Apartment House II, a supportive housing residence that opened late last year. The residence offers housing and services to formerly incarcerated women and their children.

The Wall Street Journal piece highlights the warm, inviting atmosphere created by Hour Children, the nonprofit that developed the residence. “I never thought I would live somewhere so beautiful,” says one of the tenants. “When you out there on the street, you don't think someone like Sister Tesa could love a total stranger. I'm glad she loves me,” says another. It’s a moving account of how supportive housing can transform the lives of some of New York’s most underserved individuals and families (please note that this article may be behind a pay wall).

Guest Blog: A Tenant Advocate Discusses His Day in Albany

Mar.10.2014

When Robert Hart awoke on February 11, he had no idea he’d be visiting Albany that day to tell his story to New York’s senators and representatives.

Robert is a tenant at The Castle, a transitional housing residence operated by the Fortune Society. Last month, Robert joined the Network, Homeless Services United and others for a trip to Albany to advocate for supportive housing programs. Other tenants and staffers from Fortune Society were scheduled to attend our advocacy day, and on a whim Robert asked if he could join. Everyone said of course.

Robert made quite the impression on those around him – everyone from our staff to the elected officials he met in meetings. He spoke of his experiences in housing and the services offered by Fortune to help him improve his reading and writing. He also read several poems he’d written, moving all those around him. As the Network gears up for its next big Albany advocacy day on Tuesday, March 18, we present a few words from Robert on his experiences in Albany. We encourage all of our members to reach out to their tenants to see if they’d like to attend our advocacy day on March 18. We’d love to have them join us. Robert, for his part, plans to attend again.

"My Trip to Albany," by Robert Hart:

It was a sudden and unexpected trip, but it was an experience of a lifetime.

What started as a joke question – “Can I go?” – quickly became a reality. There I was on a three-hour trip to Albany, not knowing what to expect. I had an immediate flashback to my trip to Washington when I was in junior high school. After the trip, I and my class had to write an essay about our experience in Washington. Because of my poor reading and writing at the time, my essay was never completed. That’s why this is a joy, to be asked to write a few lines about my trip to Albany. I finally have a sense of completion of my junior high essay.

As I walked into the building, I was in awe of how huge the building was. The first thing that got my attention was the beautiful statues and paintings in the building. It seemed as time quickly passed, I felt as if I became a part of the staff. At 6’5”, I felt that day so much bigger. Not like Robert Hart, the client at Fortune, but more like Mr. Robert Hart, team member and staff. I wanted so much to be a part of what was taking place that day in Albany.

I knew there was something I could say, about how Fortune has been a great asset to my life and others and how Fortune is a great organization to keep up and running, so I got up and took the floor.

Because of my inability to read and write through high school and my young adult years, I take special pride in the poems I put together. I learned creative writing from Fortune. They enhanced my writing skills.

Thanks to everyone who enjoyed my poems, there will be more to follow.

To read two of Robert’s poems, see here and here. For a rundown of our chief advocacy goals this month, see this story.

Free Program Helps Supportive Housing Residences Go Smoke-Free

Mar.04.2014

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has partnered with the Network and the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City to offer a free program to help supportive housing residences go smoke-free.

Supportive Housing Goes Smoke-Free will offer technical assistance for supportive housing providers interested in going smoke-free at one or more of their residences. The Network joined DOHMH and other partners last year to award residences that went through a similar program.

In this latest round, training and technical assistance topics will include two major subjects: 1) Effective smoke-free policies, gaining staff buy-in, resident education, compliance and adherence and 2) One-on-one technical assistance and on-site meetings with staff and/or residents.

The program is free of charge for up to 12 selected organizations that agree to explore smoke-free policies.

To apply for this opportunity, you must complete and submit this short application no later than 5:00pm on Monday, March 31st. You must also select at least one building, either owned or managed by your organization, in which to explore going smoke-free. DOHMH will select buildings based on readiness, demonstrated by organizational buy-in and capacity for resident engagement. Priority will be given to programs with a demonstrated capacity to provide support for tenants who wish to quit smoking.

Steven Banks to Lead NYC Human Resources Administration

Mar.04.2014

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced the final social service agency appointment of his administration.

On February 28, the mayor named Steven Banks the new Commissioner of the Human Resources Administration (HRA). One of the city’s most prominent public interest lawyers, Mr. Banks has served as Attorney-in-Chief at the Legal Aid Society since 2004 and has been with the organization since 1981.

“I always dreamed that Steve would work inside government,” says Laura Jervis, Executive Director of the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing. “His values, his passion for justice, his understanding of the plight of under-resourced New Yorkers combined with his fine legal mind will advance the transformation of our City into a place where equity is enjoyed by all. Who knew that dreams really can come true?”

Mr. Banks managed a staff of 1,900 at Legal Aid and was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s criminal, juvenile rights and civil programs. He is credited with helping reach a landmark settlement with the city in 2008 over its treatment of the homeless, which resulted in the establishment of a permanent enforceable right to shelter for homeless families in New York City.

Network Releases Report on NY/NY III Agreement

Feb.27.2014

The Network has released a new report on the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement, the landmark 2005 commitment to create 9,000 new units of supportive housing in 10 years.

The report, available here, synthesizes findings from interviews with more than 140 members of the supportive housing community. Taking Stock of the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement: A Community View of the Achievements and Challenges of Implementing the Nation's Largest Supportive Housing Initiative offers an in-depth look at the initiative and explores key areas for growth and improvement for the next great partnership between New York City and State to end homelessness.

"Taking Stock confirms what many of us have known for years: That the New York/New York III Agreement has been a phenomenal engine to house formerly homeless New Yorkers," says Network Executive Director Ted Houghton. "We hope this report will serve as an aid to the supportive housing community, our government partners and other stakeholders as we seek to build upon NY/NY III with a successor agreement. After more than 30 interviews and seven focus groups, we're confident in calling NY/NY III a resounding public policy success."

The Network interviewed an array of stakeholders for this project, including representatives from all 10 of the government signatories of the agreement, supportive housing and shelter providers, NY/NY III tenants, advocates and private sector partners. The goal of the project was to provide a platform for this diverse group of stakeholders to offer feedback on the successes and challenges of the initiative and to elicit their guidance on how best to design future supportive housing agreements.

HIV/AIDS Rent Cap Proposed in City, State Budgets

Feb.24.2014

Advocates from the HIV/AIDS and supportive housing communities are celebrating a long-awaited policy victory in New York City.

Last week, Gov Andrew Cuomo released his 30-day amendments for the 2014-2015 fiscal year budget. The amendments include new language to fix a rental assistance program for people living with HIV/AIDS in New York City. The governor proposes to place a cap on the amount of money these individuals must pay in rent. Under the amendment, tenants with HIV/AIDS can be charged no more than 30% of their annual income in rent.

This rent cap – advocated for years by our friends at VOCAL, Housing Works and other allies – represents a major victory for low-income and formerly homeless individuals living with HIV/AIDS in NYC. NYC is home to 12,000 individuals with HIV/AIDS, many of whom pay up to 70 percent of their disability income toward rent.

The 30-day amendment comes on the heels of NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s budget proposal earlier this month, which also included a 30% rent cap for HIV/AIDS tenants. New York City will pay for roughly $17 million, or 70 percent of the costs associated with this partnership; New York State will pay for the remaining 30 percent, or $9 million.

This policy fix will help prevent thousands of low-income New Yorkers from becoming homeless. We congratulate Housing Works, VOCAL and all our partners who’ve been on the front lines of this issue for years, and we applaud Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo for their action!

For a press release on all the governor’s 30-day amendments, see here.

Housing First! Co-Chairs Publish NYT Letter

Feb.19.2014

Two Network leaders published a letter to the editor in the New York Times last Friday. Their piece, posted here, responds to a February 7 editorial on the lack of affordable housing options in New York City. The letter was written by Network Executive Director Ted Houghton and Board Member Todd Gomez. Mr. Houghton and Mr. Gomez are also the co-Chairs of the Housing First! coalition.

In their NYT letter to the editor, Mr. Houghton and Mr. Gomez encourage Mayor Bill de Blasio to act quickly to reach his administration’s goal of creating 200,000 units of affordable housing in the next 10 years.

“The plan’s success will serve as a national model for other cities facing similar affordability challenges,” they write. “With so much to gain, there’s no time to lose.”

Housing First! also released a policy brief on the mayor’s housing plan earlier this month. If you haven’t already, we urge you to read and share Building Stronger, the Housing First! coalition’s detailed policy guide on affordable housing and the new administration.

Five Network Members Receive Funding to House Homeless Families

Feb.14.2014

In New York City, 70 homeless families will soon have access to housing and support services thanks to a funding announcement made yesterday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The State will award $1.75 million to five supportive housing nonprofits scattered across NYC. All five nonprofit providers are members of the Supportive Housing Network: Fortune Society, Odyssey House, Project Hospitality, Samaritan Village and Women In Need. This funding will support the creation of 70 units of supportive housing for homeless families struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol.

“Supportive housing programs are essential to breaking the cycle of homelessness for New York’s most vulnerable individuals and families,” said Gov. Cuomo. “These programs provide the vital support services necessary to help families maintain physical and emotional health, sustain healthy relationships and generally improve the overall quality of their lives.”

These funds are available through the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS). They mark the latest round of funding through the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement, a ten-year partnership between New York City and State to create 9,000 new units of supportive housing.

Mayor de Blasio Releases Preliminary Budget

Feb.13.2014

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio released his first preliminary budget yesterday. The document, available here, includes no major cuts and new funding in a few targeted priority areas, including housing and homelessness.

Delivering on a campaign promise, the mayor joined Governor Andrew Cuomo to cap the maximum contribution tenants receiving rent subsidies from the HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) must pay toward rent. The new budget allocates $4.3 million in fiscal year 2014 and $17.4 in FY 2015 to cap the rent contribution for HIV/AIDS housing clients at 30 percent. The state is picking up one-third of the cost.

The mayor also indicated that he is talking with the governor about a homelessness prevention pilot, which will fund rental assistance and anti-eviction legal services, among other prevention services. The budget contains no additional information, but there will be an announcement in the future.

The mayor also announced new funding for homeless and runaway youth. His budget provides $1.3 million in FY 2014 and $2.4 million in FY 2015 to add 76 shelter beds for the city’s homeless and runaway youth. He said services will include “emergency housing, food, clothing, individual and group housing, and limited transportation services.”

Mayor de Blasio Appoints Key Housing Leaders

Feb.10.2014