Homeless Services United (HSU)

Join us and our friends at the Health and Housing Consortium on April 8th at 3:30pm for a web conference on Preventing Deaths Among Individuals Experiencing Homelessness in New York City. Register here https://tinyurl.com/dk8nne24 Sadly, every year within New York City hundreds of people experiencing homeless pass away from a variety of causes, many of which are preventable. The 15th annual Report of Deaths among Persons Experiencing Homelessness prepared by the NYC Depart...ment of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) provides a stark view of the myriad challenges faced by the most vulnerable New Yorkers, which often lead to a life expectancy that is several decades shorter than their housed counterparts. Our esteemed panel includes representatives from DOHMH, homeless services and Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) providers, and medical professionals with many years of experience working with this unique population. They will provide an in-depth examination and discussion of the DOHMH report to gain a greater understanding of the factors contributing to premature deaths among undomiciled individuals and how these data can inform better care. The panel will discuss key takeaways with the goal of identifying specific interventions that can improve medical outcomes and reduce premature deaths for people experiencing homelessness. Featuring: - Presentation on the 15th Annual Report of Deaths among Persons Experiencing Homelessness (July 1, 2019 June 30, 2020) Dr. Fabienne Laraque, Medical Director, NYC Department of Homeless Services - Dr. Andrea Littleton, Medical Director, BronxWorks, etc. - Dr. Tony Carino, Director of Psychiatry, Janian Medical Care - TBD Project Renewal - Dr. Kelly Doran, Emergency Medicine Physician, Bellevue Hospital

Please join our friends at the Health & Housing Consortium on Wednesday, March 24th from 9:30am to 11am for their COVID-19 Town Hall on Vaccinations for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness in NYC and Beyond. We’ll hear from city agencies, hospitals, and community organizations about current and future vaccination efforts among this population. Topics will include: ensuring equitable vaccine access, implementing effective outreach, and identifying opportunities for collaboration and coordination. Following brief panelist presentations, we will have a moderated discussion and Q&A. https://nyulangone.zoom.us//reg/WN_vUa0TXR2TuW40_Sn04hqxg

TOMORROW 2/9 at 9:30am, we’re joining a virtual rally to call on @NYCMayor & @NYCSpeakerCoJo to raise #CityFHEPS rental vouchers. It’s past time to #PassIntro146. Join here: https://bit.ly/3rnLS4T

COVID-19 has been an economic catastrophe for so many NYC families - we need bold action now to prevent a tsunami of homelessness. See our op-ed with BronxWorks in today's New York Daily News https://www.nydailynews.com//ny-oped-bold-housing-solution and read more about our specific recommendations in the Eviction Prevention Roundtable report https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/download

This snow is dangerous. Outreach and drop-in centers remain open and active. A list of locations can be found here: https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02528 In addition, the City has opened warming centers in various locations and has "warming buses" outside major hospitals overnight. Warming Centers Holy Apostles- Manhattan 296 Ninth Avenue NY NY 10001 ... Church of God of Prophecy- Bronx 85 East 165th Street Bronx NY 10452 St. James Episcopal Church- Elmhurst 8602 Broadway, Elmhurst NY 11373 Warming Buses Locations and times. The buses are stationed from 10pm to 6am every day. 1. 34th Street Penn Station (34thStreet and 7th Ave in front of the LIRR Station) 2. Kings County Hospital (Brooklyn) 3. Elmhurst Hospital (Queens) 4. Bellevue Hospital (Manhattan) 5. Lincoln Hospital (Bronx)

Center for Urban Community Services' free new virtual program CUCSConnect can connect NYers with income support, food assistance, legal support, and health insurance! (English and Spanish) http://cucs.org/connects

The show of support at tonight's vigil for the residents at the Lucerne was heartening. We wish Mayor Bill de Blasio would take a page from UWS Open Hearts and lead with compassion. The men staying at this shelter should not be transferred to appease Nimby, racists. They are welcome by many in this community and deserve stability.

The juxtaposition of Mayor Bill de Blasio's cruelty and the humanity of this community is striking. Please join our friends at UWS Open Hearts to stand with the residents of the Lucerne and all the other sons, fathers, and brothers throughout the City who may yet fall on hard times. Please come out and show support for the residents of the Lucerne if you can.

We are furious and heartbroken over Mayor Bill de Blasio's decision to force the men sheltering at the Lucerne Hotel to move to yet another hotel location as a means of appeasing wealthy Upper West Side residents who were loath to live near poor people. Some are painting this development as a victory because instead of displacing family shelter residents to accommodate the men of the Lucerne they found a new hotel to use. That framing is a mistake. Of course we are pleased th...at families weren't roped into this mess and forced to move but, the trauma of displacement suffered by the men at the Lucerne is real and it matters. These men have been demonized from the start during what was already the hardest period in their lives. They want nothing more than the chance to be safe and regain stability. The Mayor is robbing them of this chance while he plays musical chairs with their shelter placement with no regard for their well being. He should be ashamed. See more

Working with students in temporary housing and have questions and concerns about going back to school? Advocates for Children of New York has you covered! Check out their website for tips and tools as well as useful contacts for parents and advocates https://nysteachs.org/nyc-resources/

Join our friends at The Supportive Housing Network of New York this Friday at 1pm for a conversation with Brittany Packnett. They will be discussing the many intersecting factors that drive homelessness, the urgency of centering racial equity in our work, and how to bring together disparate communities to work towards progressive policy change. Learn more here https://conta.cc/3kCIfEO

Please join us this Sunday to show solidarity and support for homeless New Yorkers on the Upper West Side who are being victimized by NIMBYists

Earlier today, members of the UWS Open Hearts Coalition delivered an open letter, signed by more than 700 New Yorkers, including 476 UWS residents, teachers, and business owners, to @ [22085921165:274:Mayor Bill de Blasio]. The letter demands that the non-profit shelters run by Project Renewal, HELP USA, and the Center for Urban Community Services remain in local hotels until it is safe to move the populations back to their original locations. We proudly cosigned with our col...leagues at the Coalition for the Homeless, Inc., Safety Net Project - Urban Justice Center and other homelessness advocacy organizations, demanding that the city’s decisions about shelter location are made in response to evidence-based public health guidelines, not political pressure or private interests. If you are interested in supporting this effort, please join our friends for a protest and sleepout in solidarity with the residents of the Lucerne. on Saturday, August 29th starting at 6PM. To read the letter visit uwsstrong.org. See more

Have you completed the census yet? It's more than just a head-count, the census is a once in a decade opportunity to ensure New York gets our fair share of resources from the federal government including for grants and programs that determine funding levels for homeless services and housing. Go to https://my2020census.gov/ today and do your part #GetCountedNYC

Lost income due to COVID-19 and are worried about paying the rent? The deadline to apply for the New York State Rental Assistance Program has been extended until August 6th! To learn more visit https://hcr.ny.gov/RRP

URGENT ACTION NEED: The Trump administration’s latest attack against LGBTQ people has come in the form of a new rule that undermines the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s protections for transgender people seeking safe shelter. The rule would allow shelters to deny transgender people access to shelter that matches their gender identity and would subject them to cruel and demeaning screenings that could result in their placement in facilities that are unsafe. We ...urge all of our followers to register opposition and flood HUD with as many unique comments as possible to ensure that this does not become the national standard. The True Colors Foundation has set up a one click shop where you can file your UNIQUE comments at https://housingsaveslives.org/. Comments must be unique because, HUD is required by law to respond to each individual comment. We must make comments sufficiently different to trigger their obligation to respond thus effectively slowing down the rule making progress enough to push this into the next administration when there is a real chance at reversal. When you visit the website you will be presented with talking points that you can cut, paste and customize along with a bit about yourself or your organization to make it your own. We urge you to submit comments before the deadline on September 22.

Homeless women face impossible choices every day, struggling with little money or resources to get back on their feet. What would you buy if you were down to your last $10 for the week and your period started today? Do you prioritize hygiene products? Food? Car fare? Thanks to our friends at TheBlueList.org and their #buyabox campaign, women served at our member programs won't have to choose.

John Oliver explains the looming homeless crisis stemming from the economic fallout from COVID-19. We need #RentReliefNow to stave out a tsunami of evictions and homelessness. Join us and our friends at the National Low Income Housing Coalition to demand that the federal government deliver the aid we desperately need for enhanced homeless and prevention services and rental assistance by passing the HEROES Act https://nlihc.secure.force.com/actions/TakeActionNew