Series B: 1:30-3:00pm
New York State Supportive Housing: Looking Back, Moving Forward - Astor Ballroom, 7th Floor
2026 represents two milestone in supportive housing: both the last year of the state's five year housing plan and ten years into the Empire State Supportive Housing Plan. New York State leaders will review the progress made look forward to what the future holds.
Chinazo Cunningham, she/her, Commissioner, NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports
Barbara Guinn, Commissioner, NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
Alexa Sewell, Senior Vice President for Multifamily Finance and Development, NYS Homes and Community Renewal
Ann Sullivan, she/her, Commissioner, NYS Office of Mental Health
Moderator: Ron Abad, Chief Executive Officer, Community Housing Innovations
Care Without Judgment: Overdose Prevention and Resource Connection - Empire Complex, 7th Floor
This session will be grounded in harm reduction principles and feature representatives from the NYC DOHMH Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use's Rapid Assessment and Response Team discussing the development of the new Overdose Prevention Resource Guide for Supportive Housing Programs. Supportive housing provider CUCS will share how it partnered with the team to implement the guide's recommendations across its residential programs. Speakers will highlight practical strategies for expanding access to naloxone, including community naloxone distribution models; establishing or strengthening Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs (OOPPs); enhancing residence safety measures and overdose response protocols; and providing staff and residents with education on overdose prevention, response, and safety planning.
Sara Atlas, MPH, she/her, Technical Assistance Manager, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use , NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene
Sarah Lipsky, LCSW, Deputy Chief Program Officer, Center for Urban Community Services
Ian McHale, MPH, He/Him, Director of Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use, NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene
Diang Severino, he/him, Senior Field Responder, Rapid Assessment and Response, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use, NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene
Moderator: Brian Carmichael, Community Health Worker, Peer Educator, and Harm Reduction Advocate, Worker and Instructor
Engagement That Sticks: Creative Programming for Tenant Connection - Soho Complex, 7th Floor
In this interactive session, providers and tenants will highlight innovative engagement strategies, such as arts-based programming, drama therapy, and Indigenous healing-informed practices, that foster meaningful tenant connection and create vibrant residential communities. Attendees will gain practical ideas and creative tools for encouraging participation, building trust, and cultivating a strong sense of belonging within supportive housing environments.
Mariel Cruceta, she/her, Assistant Vice President of Supportive Housing, Volunteers of America Greater New York
Maria Hodermarska, MA, RDT-BCT, CASAC, LCAT, she/her, Clinical Associate, Professor of Drama Therapy, Program in Drama Therapy, New York University
Adama Joy Sall, she/her, Graduate Student Intern, Drama Therapy, New York University
Pisces Longino, Tenant, Lantern Community Services
Avi Maayan, Director of Program Innovation and Practice, Volunteers of America Greater New York
Justin Miller, he/him, Director, Program Development, Breaking Ground
Cedric Riley, Supportive Housing Client and Civic Leader & Client Advisory Board Member, Volunteers of America Greater New York
Moderator: Anthony Mercedes, He/They, Senior Program Director, Lantern Community Services
Equity in Practice: Honoring the Legacy of Frederick (Fred) Shack - Shubert Complex, 6th Floor
The late Fred Shack, former Urban Pathways CEO and Network Board member, challenged our field to think more deeply about dignity, voice, belonging, and humanity within systems of care. This interactive discussion with colleagues and mentees of Mr. Shack will explore two key themes central to his legacy: 1) moving beyond symbolic inclusion toward meaningful partnership with people who have lived experience, and 2) advancing workforce dignity and pay equity within human services. Panelists will reflect on how organizations can create cultures and systems that strengthen trust, engagement, collaboration, and shared ownership across all levels of care.
Gary Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Pathways
Dr. Mardoche Sidor, Medical Director, Urban Pathways
Jeannette Ruffins, she/her, President & CEO, Homeward NYC
Will Woods, he/him, Board of Directors, Care for the Homeless
Moderator: Tierra Labrada, she/her, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Supportive Housing Network of New York
How It Started, How It's Going: Supportive Housing Capital Finance in New York - Marquis Ballroom, 9th Floor
The Network's third annual State of Supportive Housing report highlights the $16 billion of capital financing that has gone into creating over 37,000 units of congregate supportive housing since the 1980s. This session will briefly review the findings of the report and check in with the leading government funders of supportive housing today. Panelists will share updates to capital funding processes and priorities. There will be ample time for audience questions.
Rachel Barth, she/her, Senior Data Analyst, Supportive Housing Network of New York
Julie Duncan, Director of the Bureau of Housing Development and Support, NYS Office of Mental Health
Dana Greenberg, she/her, Director of Housing, NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
Brett Hebner, VP of Multifamily Finance, NYS Homes and Community Renewal
Sarah Leitson, she/her, Assistant Commissioner, Division of Special Needs Housing, NYC Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development
Moderator: Kevin Hoffman, President, Richman Housing Resources
Trauma-Informed Design in Supportive Housing - Cantor/Jolson - 9th Floor
This panel will explore two case studies led by Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) and how they worked with staff and tenants to create physical spaces that promote community building, housing stability, and better health outcomes for current and future tenants.
Brian Loughlin, Principal, Magnusson Architecture and Planning
Kim Siciliano, she/her/hers, Chief Executive Officer, YWCA Northeastern New York
Sara Reyes, Program Director, Volunteers of America, Greater New York
Gamal Safa, Tenant, Volunteers of America, Greater New York
Moderator: Matt Scheer, he/him, Director of Communications, Magnusson Architecture and Planning
Understanding and Supporting Tenants with Developmental Disabilities - Ziegfeld, 4th Floor
The goal of this workshop is to increase participants' understanding of the housing and service resources available through the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD). The workshop will also focus on strengthening our ability to support individuals living in supportive and community-based housing who face intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) concerns, helping providers deliver more effective, person-centered care and services.
Alexander Brooks, Coordinator of Supportive Housing, NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities
Lilian Chaparro, Tenant, CP Unlimited formerly Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State
Theresa Manuel, LCSW, Vice President of New Initiatives, CP Unlimited (formerly Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State)
Monica Santos, Chief Program Officer, Services for the UnderServed
Jennifer Teich, Associate Vice President, AHRC NYC
Moderator: Carol Napierski, she/her, Senior Vice President of Innovation & Development, New York Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation
Ending the Criminalization of Homelessness and Mental Health - O'Neil, 4th Floor
This session will explore campaigns working to end the criminalization of homelessness and mental health crises through policy reform, grassroots organizing, and community-led alternatives. As people experiencing homelessness and mental health crises continue to face policing, displacement, discrimination, and incarceration instead of care and support, advocates across New York are advancing rights-based solutions rooted in dignity and self-determination.
Panelists will discuss four key campaigns: the SLEEP ACT, which would prohibit criminalization for sleeping or camping in public spaces; the RISE UP Campaign, advocating for the Homeless Protection Act (HPA) and The Homelessness Non-Discrimination Act (HONDA); and Daniel’s Law and CCIT-NYC, which advocate for peer-led, non-police crisis response systems in New York State and New York City respectively. There will be ample time for group discussion and opportunities to loop into the each campaign's work.
Siya Hegde, she/her, Senior Staff Attorney, National Homelessness Law Center
Cynthia English, Board of Directors and Consumer Advisory Board, Care for the Homeless
Jonathan Chung, Director of Policy and Advocacy, NAMI-NYC
Moderator: Luke Sikinyi, Vice President of Public Policy, Alliance for Rights and Recovery