Categories: Member News
07.30.2026
The Supportive Housing Network of NY extends its deepest gratitude to Carole Coppens for her decades of extraordinary leadership, unwavering advocacy, and enduring commitment to the supportive housing movement. We congratulate Carole on her well-earned retirement as Executive Director of YWCA of Binghamton & Broome County and from her service on the Network’s Board of Directors.
For 26 years, Carole led the YWCA of Binghamton & Broome County with vision, determination, and compassion. Throughout her tenure, she strengthened the organization while advancing its mission of eliminating racism and empowering women through its wide array of programs and services. Under her leadership, the YWCA achieved financial stability, restored its historic home, and significantly expanded its supportive housing, shelter, and homelessness prevention programs – ensuring that thousands of Broome County residents had access to safe and stable housing.
Carole’s leadership extended well beyond her community. When the Network became statewide in 1993, she was among the first upstate members to step forward—making clear that homelessness is not just a big city issue. She consistently elevated the realities facing rural and small-city communities, ensuring their voices were represented in Albany and that policymakers understood the unique housing challenges across the state.
Network Executive Director Pascale Leone said of Carole’s legacy, "Carole is a steadfast upstate champion whose leadership has shaped lives and strengthened this network for nearly 40 years. As our founding Executive Director once described her, she is 'always ready, willing, and able'—even cornering an elected official when necessary to fight for her community. She always shows up, elevates upstate voices, and reminds us that justice must reach every corner of New York."
Network Board Chair Brenda Rosen said, “When Carole took the helm at the YWCA of Binghamton over 25 years ago, she had to start by rebuilding the then-ailing 100-year-old organization from the ground up. She went on to accomplish far more than that over the next two decades, growing the organization’s housing and programs to serve more than 5,000 women and children annually, along with shepherding other vital Broome County, statewide, and national organizations through board leadership. It has been a privilege and honor to serve alongside Carole and learn from her on The Network’s board of directors. We will miss her collaborative spirit, deep experience, and intelligent expertise as we wish her a long and adventurous retirement.”
Incoming YWCA Executive Director, Alanna Shaikh, said, “Carole took our YWCA from a small, fragile shelter program in a crumbling building to a robust portfolio of housing, shelter, women's health, and child care. Our historic building is renovated and ready for the future, and our programs are poised for growth. Her deep commitment to our mission and our work made the impossible possible for us. We simply would not be the organization we are today without Carole's vision and grit.”
Carole’s impact on the supportive housing movement – and on the countless individuals and families whose lives have been transformed through her leadership – will be felt for generations to come. We are profoundly grateful for her extraordinary service to the YWCA, the Network, and communities across New York State. As she begins this exciting new chapter, we wish her every happiness and look forward to celebrating the lasting legacy she leaves behind.