Welcome to the April 2014 issue of Network News, the Supportive Housing Network of New York's monthly e-newsletter. In this issue, you'll find stories on the New York State budget, the retirement of Diane Sonde, a new supportive housing study out of Charlotte and more. As always, we welcome your story ideas and tips for future issues. Thanks for reading!

Final New York State budget released

Budget includes funding increases for supportive housing

Network members and staff meet with NYS Senator Tony Avella during an advocacy day co-hosted by the Network and Homeless Services United on March 18. The meetings were held to impact the details of the final 2014-2015 budget.

The NYS Legislature has approved its budget for the 2014-2015 year. Overall, the $138 million spending plan is a positive budget for supportive housing and is very similar to Governor Cuomo's proposal submitted in January. It provides significant increases in capital funding for supportive housing development, large allocations of supportive housing service and operating subsidies for high-cost Medicaid recipients and modest increases to key supportive housing and homelessness programs like NYSSHP, STEHP and OMH Supported Housing. It also includes a 30% rent cap for persons living with HIV/AIDS in NYC and supports an OMH reinvestment fund to expand access to community-based services throughout the state.

To influence the debate on this year's budget, the Network co-hosted an advocacy day in Albany with Homeless Services United (HSU) on March 18. More than 60 volunteers and staffers attended roughly 40 meetings that day with NYS senators, representatives and their staff. We'd like to thank everyone who participated in this advocacy day as well as the one we co-hosted in February.

We'd also like to thank Governor Cuomo and his staff, the Division of Budget, the NYS Senate (specifically Sen. Avella, Social Services Committee Chair; Sen. Young, Housing Committee Chair; Sen. Hannon, Health Committee Chair and Sen. Carlucci, Chair of the Mental Health Committee), the NYS Assembly (specifically, Rep. Titus, Chair of Social Services; Rep. Wright, Housing Chair; Rep. Gottfried, Health Committee Chair and Rep. Gunther, Chair of Mental Health) and all of the staff in both houses who worked tirelessly to put this budget together. We deeply appreciate your continuing commitment to supportive housing.

For a full overview of the budget as it relates to housing and homelessness, see our complete recap at Network Newsfeed:

MRT supportive housing Health Home pilot RFP released

Applications for funding due May 23

The NYS Department of Health (DOH) released the Medicaid Redesign Team Supportive Housing Health Home Pilot Project Request for Applications (RFA) last month. DOH is seeking proposals from supportive housing providers to provide rental subsidies and/or on-site or community-based services to homeless or at-risk Health Home enrollees. You can read the RFP here.

Applications are due May 23 with several additional deadlines before then.

The Health Home Pilot seeks to develop best practices in four areas: 1) identifying and locating homeless or at risk Health Home members, 2) providing housing and services that improve the health status of Health Home members, 3) coordinating the efforts of Health Home care coordinators with those of on-site case managers and 4) providing integrated care models to ensure that Health Home members remain stably housed.

For a full overview of this funding opportunity, read our blog post on Network Newsfeed:

NYS Department of Health releases two supportive housing RFAs

Services funding now available; applications due May 15

The NYS Department of Health released two Requests for Applications (RFAs) last month to fund programs that provide services to seniors or individuals either exiting or in jeopardy of going into a nursing home.

You can read the RFA for senior programs here and the one for nursing home-related programs here.

Regarding seniors, the Senior Supportive Housing Services program will fund eight projects that provide senior supportive housing services to Medicaid-eligible seniors who are homeless, seniors who reside in the community and are at risk of nursing home placement or seniors transitioning out of nursing homes into the community who require long term care. Funding can be used for home modifications to make the living environment more accessible and/or services to allow the person to remain housed and live independently in the community.

Regarding nursing homes, the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Supportive Housing Nursing Home to Independent Living program will fund up to two programs for high-need individuals who require a nursing home-level of care. The funded projects will develop, implement and provide supportive services to sustain individuals' abilities to live in the community independently, and to avoid unwanted institutional care. The funded projects will also develop and implement a system to provide rental subsidies on behalf of participants of this project.

The application deadline for both RFAs is May 15. A letter of interest is also due tomorrow, April 4, for both programs.

To learn more about the Senior Supportive Housing Services program, see this blog post on Network Newsfeed. For a full rundown of the Supportive Housing Nursing Home to Independent Living program, see this blog post.

New Charlotte study bolsters the case for supportive housing

Report finds supportive housing improves lives, saves money

A new report from Charlotte shows that supportive housing can dramatically reduce a formerly homeless person's use of hospitals, emergency rooms and jails.

The study, available here

, finds that the 85 tenants of Moore Place have increased incomes, greater social support, fewer arrests and decreased medical expenses within one year of moving into supportive housing. The findings on medical expenses are particularly striking: Tenants billed nearly $1.8 million less in medical expenses during their first year in housing as compared to the previous year. This represents a 70% reduction in hospital and emergency room use.

Moore Place Permanent Supportive Housing Evaluation Study reaffirms what more than two dozen studies have previously shown: that an investment in supportive housing can lead to significant cost savings. The report has already received substantial press coverage from the

Huffington Post, the Charlotte Observer the Christian Science Monitor and other outlets.

To learn more about this study, read the whole story at Network Newsfeed:

Network testifies before NYC Council

Discusses NY/NY III Agreement, new NYC rental subsidy

On March 24, Network staff provided testimony to the New York City Council's Housing and Buildings Committee on the 2015 preliminary budget. We used our time before the committee to stress the importance of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)'s ongoing commitment to supportive housing. We specifically stressed the need for a successor agreement to New York/New York III in Mayor de Blasio's forthcoming 200,000-unit housing plan.

The hearing was led by new Committee Chair and Council Member Jumaane Williams, who was joined by several of his fellow Council members. HPD Commissioner Vicki Been began the hearing with a report on the department's budget. The Network was pleased to hear Commissioner Been tell the committee that supportive housing would indeed be part of the soon-to-be released housing plan.

You can read our testimony here.

The Network also testified on March 26 on the topic of a new rental subsidy program for homeless people in New York City. The Council's Committee on General Welfare held the hearing to elicit feedback on their Resolution 123-A, which called on Gov. Cuomo and the NYS Legislature to remove longstanding language in the budget that bars New York City from using State reimbursements for rental subsidy programs for homeless people. Click here to read our testimony on this issue.

To learn more about our testimony on a new rental subsidy program, follow the link below to Network Newsfeed:

Diane Sonde, homeless outreach pioneer, set to retire May 1

The Network interviews Ms. Sonde on her influential career

May 1 will mark the retirement of a long time friend and veteran in the fight to end homelessness in NYC. Diane Sonde has been working in the field of social services and mental health, addressing issues of housing and homelessness, for over four decades. Her career started in the 1960s as a caseworker for the NYC Department of Social Services. She will soon be retiring from her position as an Assistant Deputy Commissioner at the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA)'s Customized Assistance Services.

Perhaps most notably, Ms. Sonde is credited as being one of the first New Yorkers to engage in street outreach for homeless people. On the eve of her retirement, we had the opportunity to talk with Ms. Sonde about her pioneering days doing street outreach and the many lessons she's learned from her decades of service.

The Network: You began your career as a caseworker in the 1960s and '70s. Can you tell us a little about this experience?

Ms. Sonde: Working as a Protective Service worker at the Bureau of Child Welfare was an eye-opener. As a child of the sixties, I was idealistic. I wanted to work with families and prevent children from being separated from their parents. I didn't believe placing children in group homes and other types of foster care was a solution.

Unfortunately, by observing the unforgettable dysfunction of a few families and the abuse they imposed on children, the likes of which I'd never seen before, it became clear this wasn't always possible.

The Network: What drew you to this line of work in the first place?

Ms. Sonde: There was an ad in the New York City subway system I'd see each day on my way to CCNY [City College of New York] of an elderly lady sitting on a park bench, and it asked if you wanted to help her. Frankly, it was that poster that first drew me to work at the Department of Welfare, my first job in city service.

RIP Steven Warren, homeless advocate

Warren served at Praxis Housing Initiatives, SUS, Palladia

The Network was deeply saddened last month by the death of Steven B. Warren, a longtime member of the New York supportive housing community. Mr. Warren was the former Executive Director of Services for the UnderServed (SUS) and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Praxis Housing Initiatives. He passed away on March 21.

"Steve's story is one of courage, conviction and accomplishment," said Svein Jorgensen, Chief Executive Officer of Praxis Housing Initiatives. "He was a visionary and a giant in the nonprofit field. His work impacted the lives of thousands of homeless and disabled New Yorkers."

Mr. Warren began his time in the New York human services sector in the 1980s as a program planner for Project Return (now Palladia). He then moved on to serve as Executive Director of SUS, a prominent Network member, in 1987. It was during his tenure that SUS opened The Knickerbocker, one of the first supportive housing residences in the nation for veterans. SUS has since become one of the premier housing and services providers for veterans in New York City.

Mr. Warren himself was a veteran of the Vietnam War, and it was this experience that moved him to open the Knickerbocker.

To learn more about Mr. Warren, head to Network Newsfeed:

In This Issue

Network

Jobs Board

Check out these job openings and many others on our Jobs Board. Network members can post their employment opportunities for free!

Continuum of Care Associate

CARES, Inc.

Intake Coordinator

Common Ground

Tenant Support Coordinator

New Destiny Housing Corp.

Upcoming Events

The Network will co-sponsor several events in April and May with the Center for Urban Community Services. These will include workshops on coordinating property management and social services (April 16) and housing based case management (May 9), which is back after selling out earlier this year. Head over to our website to learn more about all of our upcoming events!

Network Conference

Registration for the nation's largest supportive housing conference will begin next week! Be sure to check your mail (both physical and electronic) for information on how you can register for the 14th Annual New York State Supportive Housing Conference. This year's gathering will take place on Thursday, June 5 at the New York Marriott Marquis. We'll be announcing workshop titles, presenters, times and our keynote speaker over the next few months. We're expecting roughly 1,500 friends to join us. We hope you'll be there! To learn more about the conference, see this page of our website.

News Clips

Three articles were published in March on Hour Children's newest residence and Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, the group's Executive Director. The first piece, from the Wall Street Journal, highlights the warm atmosphere Sister Tesa has cultivated for the women and children of Hour Children. The second piece, from Irish Central, offers a historical overview of the nonprofit. The third article ran in Curbed. You can learn more about these pieces here.

The US Interagency Council on Homelessness published a piece on the effectiveness of supportive housing on its blog on March 25. The article, written by Dr. Kelly Doran and Dr. Roberta Capp, argues that we should trade "hospital doors for front doors" in the fight to end homelessness. You can read their piece here.

Comings and Goings

After more than 20 years at Palladia, Joan Montbach has announced that she will be leaving on April 11. Dr. Montbach has dedicated her career to creating solutions to homelessness, both as a provider and in her leadership capacity with the Network and Homeless Services United. She joined Palladia (then Project Return) in 1993 and served in a number of roles, including Senior Advisor to the President and most recently Vice President for Policy and Communications. Dr. Montbach has been part of the Network family for years, as a member of the Steering Committee, New York City Advocacy Committee and Board Nominating Committee. We will miss her thoughtful and creative ideas but most of all her camaraderie. We are heartened that she intends to remain engaged in the housing and homelessness community upon her departure from Palladia and look forward to our future work together. We wish her all the best as she takes on the next challenge and continues to fight the good fight for homeless New Yorkers.

Mark Wickham has accepted a new position as the President and CEO of Youth and Family Alternatives (YFA), a social services nonprofit in New Port Richey, Florida. Mr. Wickham had previously served as the Executive Director of two Network member organizations. He acted as head of Catholic Family Center in Rochester until 2013. Prior to that role, he led Lakeview Mental Health Services in Ontario County from 2002 to 2011. His new organization, YFA, provides shelter care, case management, family intervention and other services to children and families in 13 counties in the Tampa area. We're sad to see Mr. Wickham leave the New York nonprofit world, but we wish him the best in his move to Florida!

Last month, Molly Park began her new role as Chief Operating Officer of Settlement Housing Fund. Ms. Park formerly served as the Deputy Commissioner for Financial Management and Analysis at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. In this previous position, she oversaw the agency's budget, fiscal and performance analysis and the Section 8 program. Prior to joining HPD, Ms. Park was the Assistant Deputy Director for the NYC Independent Budget Office. We congratulate her on her job as COO and look forward to working with her!

Arlo Chase begins work later this month as the new Vice President for Real Estate and Property Development at Services for the UnderServed (SUS). Mr. Chase arrives at SUS having served as a Principal at Alembic Community Development since 2011. He also previously acted as the Senior Vice President for Policy Initiatives at NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR). At SUS, Mr. Chase will help expand the organization's supportive housing portfolio. He will also supervise the real estate, property management and design groups at the organization. We're thrilled to see Mr. Chase move to another Network member and look forward to working with him at SUS!

Andrea Cohen is the new Senior Vice President for Program at United Hospital Fund, a healthcare nonprofit located in New York. For the last five years, Ms. Cohen has served as the Director of Health Services in the New York City Mayor's Office. Prior to joining NYC government, she served as Health and Oversight Counsel with the US Senate Committee on Finance and as a Trial Attorney with the US Department of Justice. We congratulate both Ms. Cohen and United Hospital Fund on this new development.