In partnership with The Levy Group, SUS hosted a coat drive at our Marcy Hart residence in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The coat drive donated 500 winter coats and outerwear to residents from 10 transitional and permanent SUS housing programs. The residents, many of whom are coming out of homelessness, may not have otherwise been able to afford quality winter wear. We are very grateful for The Levy Group's generous donation and look forward to a second round of promised coat donations at the temperatures fall. View Photos

Thanks to the $50,000 donation from PIMCO and donations from smaller organizations like Widder Bros. Inc., SUS' Veteran Education to Employment Program (VEEP) will create scholarship opportunities for veterans in the next year. In partnership with three City University of New York (CUNY) community colleges and SUNY Maritime College, SUS' VEEP works with veterans through every step of the education-to-employment process by helping them identify their career objectives, find and apply for financial assistance and scholarships, and secure jobs with SUS' private sector partners. 

The NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilites (OPWDD) will recognize SUS for our commitment to diversity in the workplace at its annual Works for Me event on November 6. OPWDD will highlight SUS' Urban Farms Initiative as Non-for-Profit Employer of the Year for giving SUS urban farmers employment oppportunities. SUS urban farmer Phill Cayenne will also be recognized at the awards event for his commitment to the farms for the past three years. 

SUS' AIDS Division Hits Five-Year Milestone

Congratulations to SUS' AIDS Division, which completed its five-year Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant. During the term of the grant, the division's Wellness Works program enrolled 250 individuals at SUS' Davidson and St. John's transitional housing programs, and provided weekly psychotherapeutic groups and individual counseling services. The program has surpassed its goals by exceeding program enrollment, assessment, and follow up; reducing substance use and abuse; improving mental and physical health; increasing successful referrals for permanent housing; and improving the well-being of consumers overall.