Matt Urban Hope Services

We wanted to congratulate our beloved Buffalo Bills on an amazing season! This team has given hope to so many this year, including the Matt Urban Center and tho...se we serve. We also want to give a special shout-out to the following Bills players for their acts of generosity during the holiday season: Matt Barkley and his family made a $10,000 donation to our Hope House women and children's shelter to make Christmas brighter for our residents (their second donation this year!) Matt also teamed up with local apparel company BUF on WECK to sell Buffalo Renegade shirts and hoodies, with part of the proceeds benefitting our organization! Josh Norman's Starz24 Foundation donated blankets, socks, hats, gloves, hand sanitizer and hand warmers to our Homeless Outreach team to help take care of their clients during the cold winter months. Micah Hyde's IMagINe For Youth foundation’s Kicks for Kids initiative donated 25 backpacks filled with Nike Sneakers and shorts, candy and Buffalo Bills gear to the children in our youth after-school program and those staying at our Hope House shelter. The Bills' Women's Association also provided funds for a beautiful catered holiday meal for our Hope House shelter families to enjoy together to celebrate the season. We're so grateful to have a hometown team that not only plays with tremendous heart, but also keeps our community close to its heart. We're always rooting for them. GO BILLS! See more

The Matt Urban Center Youth Department has teamed up with La'Movement Fitness to keep your body fit and healthy while you are at home. Please check them out every Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00-5:00pm using the following zoom link:

Help us help our vets! We're seeking donations for our veteran tenants at HELP Buffalo. Contact our case manager, Adonis Kernen, to schedule a drop-off at [email protected].

Thanks to all our wonderful supporters who donated to our #GivingTuesdayNow campaign! It's not too late to make a donation, because as you know, #OurWorkContinues! http://urbanctr.org/contact-us/donate-to-muc/

#OurWorkContinues at HELP Buffalo Adonis Kernen is a case manager at HELP Buffalo. Since COVID-19, Adonis has ensured that over 75 residents can access case management services via digital interface and incorporated conference-call technology for the residents' social activities, such as our Town Hall Meetings. While practicing safe social distancing, he sits in his HELP Buffalo office reviewing client concerns. Adonis' upbeat, outgoing personality keeps all of us smiling, even in tough times! Your #GivingTuesdayNow donation will help us provide basic needs to those who need us. www.urbanctr.org/donate-to-muc

#OurWorkContinues providing shelter for the homeless. Our staff at the Hope House shelter for homeless women and children have been busy keeping their clients safe, fed, and happy. The families at the shelter have been under quarantine for some time, and as you can imagine, it can be tough to keep kids who are cooped up from going crazy! But our staff keep working to make life a little brighter - they even held a "Quarantine Barbecue" to help everyone relax and have some fun! Your #GivingTuesdayNow donation helps us continue serving women and children in need: http://urbanctr.org/contact-us/donate-to-muc

#OurWorkContinues for Housing First This is Lonnie Patterson, our dedicated Case Manager for the homeless population with our Housing First program. He has a caseload of 30 clients at scattered sites in our community. Since monthly home visits are temporarily postponed, he continues to serve our clients via phone, and has still been able to check-in and provide support. He continues to advocate and provide our clients with food, hygiene/cleaning products, medical treatment, and more (with proper PPE and social distancing, of course). He misses his clients dearly and is looking forward to getting back out into the community and interacting with them again. A #GivingTuesdayNow donation will help us continue to provide basic needs for those who need us. http://urbanctr.org/contact-us/donate-to-muc/

#OurWorkContinues for Permanent Supportive Housing This is Kadie Skulski, our leader for all our Permanent Supportive Housing Programs: Hope Gardens, HELP Buffalo and Housing First. This is a photo of her sorting through basic needs items for our clients. She often has to go into stores to ensure our clients are getting the essentials to stay well. She has also put all social distancing procedures into place for her staff and clients' safety. Her main goal is to continue to serve our clients and with some brainstorming and creativity! Your #GivingTuesday now donation will help us provide basic needs to those who need us. www.urbanctr.org/donate-to-muc

#OurWorkContinues caring for our senior citizens. Our senior services department is continuing to provide case management and resources via phone to our homebound seniors. They're ensuring that some of the most vulnerable members of our community are safe and cared for during this frightening time. Your #GivingTuesdayNow donation will help us continue caring for seniors in need. www.urbanctr.org/donate-to-muc

#OurWorkContinues supporting our students. Shout-out to our AWESOME youth department for everything they've been doing to stay connected to the young people in our community schools and our after-school programs. They've set up weekly virtual tutoring sessions to make sure their kids still have the academic support they need. They've also been making DIY project kits to distribute at BPS lunch pick-ups, so that their students can keep their minds and hands busy while they're at home. (They even made their own sign for this fundraiser!) Your #GivingTuesdayNow donation will help us keep our local youth learning and thriving! http://bit.ly/2r11dyP

#OurWorkContinues at Hope Gardens This is Dawn Gawrys, our hardworking kitchen coordinator at Hope Gardens, our residential site that houses 20 homeless women. Since our dining and common areas are temporarily closed, she has gone above and beyond to prepare meals in take-out form and suits up every day to deliver those wholesome meals door-to-door to our permanent supportive housing tenants. Your #GivingTuesday now donation will help us continue feeding the people who need us. http://urbanctr.org/contact-us/donate-to-muc/

Happy Tuesday, friends! Did you know that today is #GivingTuesdayNow? A new global day of giving as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19, and the Matt Urban Center is participating. We'll be sharing photos all day showing you how #OurWorkContinues, featuring our awesome staff members who are still working to serve Buffalonians in need. Keep an eye on our posts to learn more about the important work they do, and consider making a donation to keep us going! http://urbanctr.org/contact-us/donate-to-muc/

We will be offering walk-up COVID-19 testing this Thursday, April 30 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at our 1021 Broadway location. (This is diagnostic testing - NOT... antibody testing.) Testing will be conducted in the parking lot of our facility. Please wear a mask (if you have one) and abide by the spacing markers in the lot. You do not need to be a Jericho Road patient to be tested, nor do you need a prescription from a medical provider. Supplies are limited and tests will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. Questions can be directed to 716-529-3020. Please note, you may qualify for testing at other locations. We have compiled a list of East Side locations that are also offering testing. Urban Family Practice/Greater Buffalo United Accountable Care Organization @ 1315 Jefferson Ave (14208) Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-4 p.m. Call for an evaluation first (716-604-0504). Testing available for: - GBUACO/Urban Family Practice patients with symptoms - Patients within the GBUACO/GBUAHN network - Patients without a primary care physician Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc @ 34 Benwood Ave (14214) April 28-30 Testing available for Community Health Center of Buffalo patients only. Contact your CHC of Buffalo provider first--716-986-9199. Kaleida Health @ Leroy R. Coles, Jr. Branch Library @ 1187 E. Delavan Ave (14215) Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Need a prescription from your provider faxed to 716-859-1800. After script is faxed, go to KaleidaHealth.org >> COVID-19 Testing >> Follow prompts for assessment and scheduling OR call 716-859-3222.

Some really exciting news for the families staying at our Hope House shelter!