Categories:
09.12.2022
After just over 12 years of leading the Network’s state advocacy efforts, it is with both sadness and pride that we announce Maclain Berhaupt’s departure from the Network to become Deputy Chief of Staff at the NYS Department of Health. Steve Piasecki will be leading these efforts in the interim.
Maclain’s diplomatic and strategic advocacy has helped elevate the Network to be a respected, sought-after agency on countless housing and homelessness policy issues in New York State.
During her time with the Network, Maclain helped lead some of its most successful efforts, including winning substantial state funding for supportive housing - most notably the state’s Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI). ESSHI is the largest long-term commitment to supportive housing creation in history and the first such commitment to create supportive housing statewide. Her leadership as part of the three-year campaign leading up to ESSHI’s announcement was critical.
Maclain joined the Network in 2010 as State Advocacy Director. As Associate Executive Director, a position to which she was promoted in 2020, she worked closely with our members and state and city government partners on developing a dedicated response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the past five months, Maclain has served as the Network’s Interim Executive Director, supporting and guiding the Network through a pivotal time as the Board searched for a new leader.
“As our voice in Albany, Maclain played a pivotal role in shaping new historic commitments to create and sustain supportive housing across New York State, and then fought hard to ensure those commitments were kept and accelerated,” said Brenda Rosen, Network Board Chair and President and CEO of Breaking Ground. “Without skipping a beat, she stepped in as Interim Executive Director earlier this year. Working closely with her these past several months, I was struck by her generosity, determination, and care for the mission and the entire team at the Network. We will miss her immensely.”
Upon arriving at the Network, Maclain first worked to ensure that NY/NY III was fully funded and meeting its 9,000-unit targets. She also played a key role in seeing the Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance’s Homeless Housing Assistance Program grow from a $30 million program to a $128 million program.
She also spearheaded the Network’s advocacy in securing the first-ever supportive housing program at the Department of Health, expanding the model to provide housing and services to chronically homeless high-cost Medicaid users.
Maclain’s subsequent leadership of the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing coalition won first NYC’s commitment to create 15,000 units of supportive housing over 15 years in 2015, followed three months later by the state’s commitment to create 20,000 units over the same time period.
Most recently Maclain led the Network’s advocacy with the Hochul administration to win not just a continuation of the next five years of ESSHI, but a new state preservation program, which will preserve an additional 3,000 units of aging supportive housing statewide.
“Maclain has been a tremendous part of the Network's success. She is the ultimate advocate - a good listener, smart, personable and an effective communicator,” said Ralph Fasano, Executive Director of Concern Housing and Network Board Treasurer. “Her passion for supportive housing has motivated our whole community. All who know Maclain like and respect her. We have been very fortunate to have her on our team and wish her the best in her new role.”
“Maclain has been a powerful voice in the supportive housing movement in New York,” said Pascale Leone, incoming Network Executive Director. “While our time together at the Network will be brief, I am grateful for Maclain’s tenure and positioning the Network as a strong and trusted advocate. I wish her nothing but the best in this new role and am excited for all that she will accomplish at DOH.”
We thank Maclain for the leadership and guidance she has provided to our community throughout her tenure and for the critical role she has played in helping grow the Network to the standing it has today. We will miss her strong and tireless commitment to our mission and the endless and enthusiastic support she provided to our members. We wish her the best of luck in her new role and consider her a lifelong member of the supportive housing community.