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04.01.2022
On March 8, 2022 the Network joined nearly 200 members of the supportive housing community for our 2022 Annual Meeting to reflect on and celebrate the past year in accomplishments and challenges as well as vote in the 2022 Board of Directors.
The Network’s Board Chair and CEO of Breaking Ground, Brenda Rosen, kicked off the speaking program, thanking the Network for its advocacy efforts and continued COVID support. Concern Housing Executive Director Ralph Fasano followed and presented the Network’s financials. Network Executive Director, Laura Mascuch, then welcomed our newest board member, Lantern Community Services’ Executive Director Diane Louard-Michel. Laura also summarized our community’s accomplishments over the preceding year, emphasizing the roles each Network staff member played in those successes. The evening also featured the Network’s summary of all the supportive/affordable residences that opened last year– 32 with a total of 1,999 supportive and affordable homes created in all.
New York’s Senior Senator, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, was our featured speaker and joined the zoom meeting just as Laura was summarizing our work supporting the HoUSed Campaign, “You are right that the fight is not over” he interjected. He expressed his admiration and gratitude for our community’s advocacy as well as his commitment to creating substantially more supportive housing.
“So the last two years, COVID has made it even clearer than before that we need housing, that housing policy is healthcare policy. That’s something I’ve believed in for decades and as America turns the corner on COVID, COVID showed us the problems in society and one of the problems is the lack of affordable housing.”
He ended his remarks by assuring attendees that housing will be part of a new reconciliation bill and encouraged attendees to keep fighting. You can see a recording of his full remarks below.