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Welcome to the November 2014 issue of Network News, the Supportive Housing Network of New York's monthly e-newsletter. You'll find lead articles on our new Executive Director Laura Mascuch and on our spectacular 11th annual Awards Gala. Thanks for reading!

The Network Welcomes Laura Mascuch as Executive Director as of December 1st 
Laura D. Mascuch

  

For those of you who missed the announcement last week, Laura D. Mascuch has been appointed the Network's new Executive Director and will take the helm starting December 1st. Ms. Mascuch is familiar to many of you, having been one of the model's pioneers in the 90's, holding office at two key City agencies, and consulting with a number of providers on large-scale projects.

 

Ms. Mascuch began her career at Brooklyn Catholic Charities as the Director of Caring Communities, one of New York's first supportive housing developments, she also developed Mercy Gardens, handled tax credit syndications and managed the organization's growing supportive housing portfolio. From there, Ms. Mascuch held two posts at the Department of Homeless Services between 1993 and 1999, Director of SRO Housing and New Development Unit, and Assistant Commissioner, Housing and Program Planning. From 1999 to 2002, Ms. Mascuch was the Department of Health Commissioner's Chief of Staff where she coordinated key policy initiatives with city agencies and elected officials. She also managed the agency's response to several unprecedented challenges including West Nile Virus, the September 11th terrorist and anthrax attacks.

 

"Laura is an outstanding selection to lead the Network during this exciting period," says Community Access Executive Director Steve Coe. "Her wealth of experience in housing development, analysis, program design, and public affairs offers a rare combination of skills that will be critical in managing our community's premier trade organization. 

 

"I've known of Laura's great work since our days at the Department of Homeless Services," says Common Ground Executive Director Brenda Rosen. "She has extensive experience in government and the not-for-profit community and combines that with passion, creativity, and smarts. I am confident that Laura will take the Network to new heights."

 



2014 Network Gala
Eleventh Annual Awards Gala a Spectacular Success!
Nicole Branca welcomes the crowd
New York's supportive housing community came together on October 15th for the Network's eleventh annual Awards Gala. Nearly 600 guests joined us at Capitale, the stunning Stanford White-designed Beaux Arts national landmark, to celebrate both the outstanding individuals of supportive housing and the community as a whole. The mood was festive during the cocktail hour as friends and colleagues revived old friendships and forged new partnerships.

The night's festivities continued with our awards ceremony. This year, we honored six remarkable people and one outstanding and innovative residence. Network Board Chair and Richman Housing Resources President Bill Traylor welcomed the crowd and issued a rousing call-to-arms, "we will create a muscular and very BIG successor for NY/NY! We will make sure that Medicaid redesign brings more resources to supportive housing tenants and not less! We will implement the spirit of Olmstead and we will not permit stifling percentages to rule over the needs of our tenants!"

 

Read more here and watch the slideshow:



NYC Continuum of Care Honored in Washington D.C. 
Great Success Housing Homeless Veterans 

Adam Wawrynek, Craig Retchless, Nicole Branca, Brian Bardell, Julie Irwin, Alyson Zikmund, Benjamin Chervat accepting the honor.

 

 

At their 2014 Awards Ceremony on November 5th, the National Alliance to End Homelessness put the spotlight on two communities, New York City and New Orleans, as leaders in the fight to end veteran homelessness in America. In the last three years, communities across the country, led by New York City and New Orleans, have cut their numbers of veterans experiencing homelessness by more than 50 percent.

 

The New York City Continuum of Care (CoC), co-led by the Network's Nicole Branca, and the CoC Veterans Task Force, led by Julie Irwin, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Alyson Zikmund, NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS), has achieved an astounding 64 percent reduction in veteran homelessness (3,032 fewer homeless veterans).

    

Ms. Branca said, "this remarkable benchmark would not have been possible without the unique resources brought to the table by providers, advocates and the multitude of agencies involved. I'm proud to be part of the CoC and Veteran Task Force leadership and look forward to our continued partnership to end veteran homelessness in our city."

 

In addition to Ms. Irwin, Ms. Zikmund and Ms. Branca, the New York City delegation included Brian Bardell, Volunteers of America; Craig Retchless, NYC Human Resources Administration; Adam Wawrynek representing Services for the Underserved's SSVF program; and Benjamin Chervat of DHS.

 



The Network About to Unveil Emergency Plan Templates
Critical Resources for Members Available
In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the Network last year embarked on a year-long initiative to help the supportive housing community prepare for a range of disasters. Funded by the New York City Housing and Neighborhood Recovery Donor's Collaborative, the Network engaged EAD Associates, (EAD) a consultancy firm that focuses on integrating people with special needs into all aspects of emergency management.

The Network's emergency prep initiative aimed to create two types of emergency plan templates: an Organization Emergency Plan Template - for managing emergencies at the organization leadership level and a Congregate Residence Emergency Plan Template - which can help organizations create emergency plans for single site supportive housing residences.

These templates will be unveiled starting November 12th - through an in-person meeting, through webinars and on the Network website.

 



LESC Opens Franklin Avenue Residence 
A Beautiful New Supportive Housing Residence in the Bronx

President and CEO of Lower Eastside Service Center Valerie C. Walters cuts the ribbon.

  

Lower Eastside Service Center (LESC) recently celebrated the opening of Franklin Avenue Residence, a beautiful new supportive housing residence in the Morrisania neighborhood in the Bronx, with 71 units of permanent housing for formerly homeless individuals as well as 27 studio apartments for low-income individuals from the community.

 

Speakers at the ribbon cutting ceremony included LESC's President & CEO Valerie C. Walters, Darryl C. Towns, Commissioner and CEO of NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) and Vicki Been, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). 

 

Commissioner Been, the Network's 2014 Government Partner of the Year, said "the de Blasio Administration's Housing New York plan made a commitment to assist homeless individuals and families by providing opportunities for permanent housing. I would like to thank the Lower Eastside Service Center for doing so much to provide a much needed life-line for individuals seeking permanent housing solutions." 

 



Funding Updates

Governor Cuomo Announces $40 Million in Supportive Housing Awards 
 
On October 10th, Governor Cuomo announced over $40 million in awards by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance's (OTDA) Homeless Housing and Assistance Program (HHAP). This funding is helping to pay for eleven projects, of which ten are supportive housing! These awards help fund 276 units of supportive housing for families and individuals throughout the state, including survivors of domestic violence, veterans, youth and adults with disabling mental health challenges.  It also leverages hundreds of units of much needed affordable housing.

Below is the list of projects funded through this latest round. 

Organization (Project)

County

Amount

Alternatives for Battered Women

Monroe

$4,985,398

CAMBA (Van Dyke)

Kings

$6,000,000

Housing Visions Consultants (Walnut Avenue Homes)

Niagara

$1,672,000

Auburn Housing Authority Development Corporation

Cayuga

$6,418,545

Jericho Project

Bronx

$3,680,000

Cattaraugus Community Action

Cattaraugus

$1,257,182

Westhab (129 S. 4th)

Westchester

$3,415,000

Concern for Independent Living (Ronkonkoma)

Suffolk

$2,762,865

Project Hospitality

Richmond

$3,068,076

Women In Need

Kings

$5,240,915

Common Ground Community II HDFC

Bronx

$2,000,000

TOTAL

 

$40,499,981


The Network gives special congratulations to the eight Network members who were awarded funding!

 

For more information, here is a link to the official press release. 

In This Issue
The Network Welcomes Laura Mascuch
2014 Network Gala
NYC Continuum of Care Honored
The Network About to Unveil Emergency Plan Templates
LESC Opens Franklin Avenue Residence
Governor Cuomo Announces $40 Million in Supportive Housing Awards
Join Our Mailing List

Network 

Jobs Board 

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

Director of Client Services

HELP USA

 

Visiting Counselors  

Geel Community Services, Inc. 

 

Case Manager
Geel Community Services, Inc.

Development Project Associate
HELP USA

Upcoming Events

 

Focused Emergency Planning Webinar
Date: November 19, 2014
Time: 1 pm

This training is for any staff who are addressing evacuation planning for supportive housing organizations - one of the most critical planning areas to face our tenants and staff.  The discussion will include: decision-making about evacuation, planning for short-term vs. long-term displacement, personal preparedness for staff and tenants, identifying alternate sites, roles and responsibilities and tenant issues and concerns. Register here.

 

The Network will continue to partner with the Center for Urban Community Services to offer discounted trainings to Network members. On offer for November & December: a training on Understanding Special Needs Populations for Non-Clinical Staff on November 12, and a training on Providing Effective Supervision on December 9. Head over to our website  to register for these trainings and to learn more about all our events!  

 

Member

News  

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo named a task force to fight AIDS. The taskforce will be led

by Charles King (of Housing Works) and Guthrie Birkhead, of NYSDOH.  Network members named to the taskforce also include: Robert Cordero (BOOM! Health), Ingrid Floyd (Iris House), Jennifer Flynn (VOCAL NYC), Kelsey Louie (GMHC), Regina Quattrochi (Bailey House), Stanley Richards (Fortune Society), Ron Silverio (Evergreen Health Services of Western NY), & Doug Wirth (AmidaCare). 

News Clips


City Limits
reporter Chris Giblin wrote an impressive article reviewing Mayor de Blasio's  and Governor Cuomo's plans for expanding supportive housing in New York City and New York State. The Network's Nicole Branca is quoted.  Read the full article here

The New York Daily News
reported on Lower Eastside Service Center's new supportive housing residence.  Read the full article here.

Comings and Goings    

 

Eileen Johns has joined the Center for Innovation through Data Intelligence (CIDI) in the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services office as Director of Policy and Research. Prior to CIDI, Eileen worked at the NYC Department of Homeless Services for ten years, most recently as the Assistant Commissioner of Policy and Planning. She also served as co-chair of the NYC Coalition on the Continuum of Care (CoC) and managed the division within DHS that supports the CoC's work.  Before joining DHS, Eileen worked for Good Shepherd Services.

 

After serving with distinction as SCO's Executive Director for four years, Gail B. Nayowith stepped down on November 1, 2014. Chief Program Officer Douglas O'Dell is serving as Interim Executive Director. "The Board wishes Gail great success in all her future endeavors," said Board Chair Kelly L. Williams. "We appreciate her leadership during a period of extensive change and growth, and her commitment to achieving excellence in all that SCO does for the people we serve. I know she will be missed."

Diana Antos Arens retired as Executive Director of Options for Community Living on October 19, 2014.  Options for Community Living's new Executive Director is Yolanda Robano-Gross, who comes most recently from FEGS Health and Human Services, where she was the Vice President of Developmental Disabilities Residential Services.  In addition to her experience at FEGS, Ms. Robano-Gross served as Director of Developmental Disabilities Services at PSCH.