Welcome to the June 2015 issue of Network News, the Supportive Housing Network of New York's monthly e-newsletter. You'll find lead articles on the 15th Annual NYS Supportive Housing Conference, a residence opening in the Bronx and a ground breaking in Mt. Vernon, and the HUD Summit in Utica. Thanks for reading!
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The 15th Annual Supportive Housing Conference kicked off the largest gathering of the supportive housing community ever with a deeply inspiring keynote address from
StoryCorps' Founder and President
Dave Isay. Echoing StoryCorps' mission and supportive housing's moral core, Mr. Isay reminded participants that every individual matters. He also said that of the hundreds of keynotes he delivers, this one had meant the most to him personally.
The morning also featured remarks from retired Brigadier General Dr.
Loree Sutton, Commissioner of the NYC Mayor's Office of Veterans Affairs, and a rousing welcome from Executive Director
Laura Mascuch. At the outset of the day, Network's Chair
William Traylor shared his own story about his personal history and connection to the world of supportive housing.
We'd like to express enormous gratitude to everyone who attended, spoke and volunteered at the 15th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference. It's no secret that this conference is the largest single undertaking of our calendar year. We put it on, year after year, to shine a light on the extraordinary work being done by our more than 220 nonprofit members. We salute you, and we thank you for creating 50,000 units of supportive housing in New York State.
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Governor Cuomo Appoints New HCR and OTDA Commissioners
Governor Cuomo recently appointed James (Jamie) Rubin as Commissioner of NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR). Commissioner Rubin comes to HCR from the Governor's Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) where he served as the Executive Director, overseeing and creating programs to disburse disaster recovery funds allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Prior to leading GOSR, he was New York Director of the President's Hurricane Sandy Recovery and Rebuilding Task Force and a Senior Advisor to then-HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. Rubin has been a leader in the supportive housing community for the past decade serving on the Board of Directors of Common Ground since 2003 and as their Chairman since 2011. We congratulate Commissioner Rubin and look forward to working with him!
Governor Cuomo also recently appointed Assembly member
Samuel D. Roberts as Commissioner of the
NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. Roberts was elected to the NYS Assembly in November 2010 and has served three consecutive terms representing the greater Syracuse area. Prior to his election to the Assembly, he served as an Onondaga County Legislator from 1990-1999. Commissioner Roberts is a retiree of General Motors, where he worked as a journeyman tool and die maker for 30 years, and is a proud member of the United Auto Workers Union. The Network welcomes Commissioner Roberts and looks forward to working with him in his new role!
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Rally for a Robust NY/NY 4
Highest homelessness numbers underline need for more supportive housing
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| Hundreds rally at the offices of Governor Cuomo. |
On June 12
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, hundreds of people rallied outside Governor Andrew Cuomo's office in mid-town Manhattan in support of a more robust NY/NY 4 agreement to address the record levels of homelessness in New York City and New York State.
Karen Jorgensen, Director of the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing's Valley Lodge shelter for 27 years says "I'd like the state to step up to the plate. We need to pour more money into supportive housing because we know it works. There are people who are coming out of state correctional facilities and state-funded alcohol and substance abuse rehab programs who have nowhere to go. If they had supportive housing, they would be much less likely to return to these very costly facilities again. I'm hoping NY/NY 4 can also include some units for people who are in three-quarter houses."
"Now is the time for a new statewide agreement for 35,000 units of supportive housing over the next 10 years" says Network Executive Director Laura Mascuch, continuing, "supportive housing is the only proven solution to ending homelessness."
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Very First MRT-funded Supportive Housing Residence in NYC Opens
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| Cutting the ribbon at Creston Avenue residence |
On a glorious blustery day in May, the
Housing Collaborative and
Volunteers of America-Greater New York celebrated the opening of the Creston Avenue residence in the Bronx. This 66-unit, mixed-population development is home to a mix of low-income and homeless individuals and families, including veterans and was the very first supportive housing residence built using Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) capital funds. On-site services are provided by the Volunteers of America Greater New York (VOA-GNY).
President and CEO of VOA-GNY
Tere Pettitt and Board Chair
Gerard Cunningham, welcomed the crowd of distinguished guests that included
Darryl C. Towns, Commissioner of NYS Homes and Community Renewal;
Brett Hebner of OTDA;
Jane Silverman of JP Morgan Chase,
Richard Roberts of Red Stone Equity,
Julie Irwin of the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, and project co-developer
Robert Sanborn of the Housing Collaborative.
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Supportive Housing Project Breaks Ground in Mt. Vernon, NY
Tenants to have easy access to NYC
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A new supportive housing residence planned for Mt. Vernon
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"The Modern," a Westchester affordable housing project with a supportive housing set-aside broke ground recently. Located a block from the Mt. Vernon West train station, the Modern will provide tenants with a mix of energy-efficient affordable and supportive housing, commercial space and easy access to Manhattan.
The stunning 11-story complex will feature 80 apartments in total, 22 of which will be set aside for individuals with special needs. On-site services will be funded by the Office of Mental Health and will be provided by Network member Community Housing Innovations (CHI).
The building will feature a rooftop garden, indoor recreation facilities and be fully accessible. It is being designed with numerous green and energy-efficient features. The first two floors will be commercial space. The builder/developer is new to supportive housing-the Westchester company MacQuesten Development LLC.
Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson spoke at the groundbreaking admitting that initially, she "was not very nice" to the developer but has become a fan of the project.
Capital financing came from NYS Housing Finance Agency, NYS Office of Mental Health, Medicaid Redesign Team funding from NYS Homes and Community Renewal, Bank of America, NYSERDA and local HOME funding.
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Utica Hosts HUD Summit
Features five upstate NY mayors
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Mayor Palmieri, Laura Mascuch, Steve Quasny at the HUD Summit opening reception.
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On May 20th, the City of Utica hosted "Strengthening Cities, Communities & Homes" the 2015 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Summit that featured five upstate mayors, from Utica, Rome, Watertown, Binghamton and Amsterdam and brought together local, state and federal government representatives to address a group of about 300. The Network played a pivotal role in planning the event and helped organize several workshops, including one on state capital resources, moderated by Laura Mascuch, and another on state operating and services moderated by Steve Piasecki. Network members showcased their programs in various workshops. Neighbors of Watertown, the YWCA of Binghamton, and Johnson Park of Utica, spoke of the impact great community organizations can have; North County Transitional Living Services spoke about the challenges of developing rural housing and Oswego County Opportunities participated on a panel on youth homelessness. Laura Mascuch and the Network hosted a parting reception. Many thanks to the Mayors of Utica, Rome, Watertown, Binghamton and Amsterdam--and to HUD for a great day!
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HCR's Unified Funding Round Awards
$141 million in funding announced
New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) announced the 2014 Unified Funding Round (UFR) awards, funding over $141 million to support 38 housing projects that will create 2,160 units. This year's awards included funding for twelve supportive housing projects, that will create 304 units - this represents 14% of the total awarded units which is a rebound from last year's low of 159 units.
Supportive housing projects received $8 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credits, which will generate over $80 million in private investment, $16 million in Housing Trust Fund dollars, $2.5 million in HOME funding, and over $13 million in capital funding from the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT). This is the first time that MRT Capital has been part of the UFR competition and helped support half of the supportive housing projects funded this year.
Ten of the twelve projects are mixed-use projects that include both affordable and supportive housing units. A majority, seven, are collaborations with New York State Office of Mental Health. Additionally, two projects will house people living with HIV/AIDS and two will house formerly homeless veterans. One project will provide safe affordable housing for survivors of domestic violence.
Here's a brief overview of the twelve projects:
- Marcy/Sheridan, Dunn Development Corporation and Services for the UnderServed, 37 supportive housing units in the Bronx. This mixed development project was featured at the Network's conference.
- Lakeview Macedon, Lakeview Health Services, 12 units of supportive housing in Macedon, New York
- Lamphear Court Apartments, Arbor Development Corporation 22 units of supportive housing in Corning, New York.
- Tapestry on the Hudson, The Community Builders and Unity House of Troy, 15 supportive housing units for domestic violence survivors in Troy, New York
- Melrose Commons, The Bridge, 59 units of supportive housing in the Bronx
- Webster Green, The Doe Fund, 41 units of supportive housing in the Bronx
- Hull Street, Housing Works 28 Units of supportive housing in the Bronx
- HELP Buffalo II, HELP Development Corporation, 15 units of supportive housing for homeless veterans in Buffalo, New York
- Riverview Apartments, Cortland Catholic Charities and Christopher Community, 20 units of supportive housing in Cortland, New York
- Ulster Gardens II, Gateway Community Industries, 21 units of supportive housing in Ulster, New York
- Veterans Housing , Finger Lakes Community Development Corporation, 20 units of supportive housing for homeless veterans in Canandaigua, New York
- Nyack Point, Rockland Housing Action Committee and Loeb House, 9 units of mental health supportive housing in Nyack, New York
Network members are in bold. Congratulations to all awardees!
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Network Jobs Board Check out these job openings and many others on our Jobs Board. Network members can post their employment opportunities for free! Resident Assistant for Urban Family Center at Henry Street Settlement
Consumer Advocate for Henry Street Settlement
Administrative Assistant for Geels
Case Manager for Geels
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 Upcoming Events
The Network's trainings held in collaboration with CUCS will resume in September, 2015.
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 Member News The Fortune Society's Senior Vice President, Stanley Richards, has been appointed to the New York City Board of Corrections. Comunilife's Founder, President and CEO Dr. Rosa M. Gil has been appointed to the New York City Board of Health. |
 News Clips The Gotham Gazette published a compelling article quoting the Network's Cynthia Stuart:
An article in Multi-Housing News Online profiled the new Creston residence in Medicaid Savings Help Fund Bronx Supportive Housing. The Bronx Times covered a new Housing development to be built on Crotona Park East by the Doe Fund and HPD. |
| Comings and Goings Kevin Rente has joined DHS as the Director of Planning, Development and Grants. He was formerly the Vice President of Supportive Housing at Harlem United Community AIDS Center, Inc. Douglas O'Dell has been named the new Executive Director of SCO Family of Services. He's been with SCO for 24 years, most recently as the Interim Executive Director. |
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