Volunteers of America-Greater New York

Representatives from Apple Bank recently visited Wales Avenue Residence, one of VOA-GNY’s behavioral health housing programs for adults and youth, to meet with clients, discuss the importance of bank accounts, and answer their financial questions. Financial literacy is crucial for wealth building, especially for those experiencing homelessness. Thank you Apple Bank for hosting this informative event, helping our clients understand the basics of personal finance and empowering them to take control of their finances! #WealthBuilding #VOAGNY

Volunteers of America-Greater New York (VOA-GNY) condemns in the strongest possible terms last week’s Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of laws that criminalize sleeping in public spaces even when there is a lack of shelter. Policies that criminalize poverty and homelessness do nothing to prevent poverty or homelessness. Instead, they make it even harder for individuals and families to break the cycle of poverty by negatively impacting their freedom, mental and physical health, and ability to work and find housing. Housing is a human right. VOA-GNY is proud to be a provider of both temporary and affordable housing in New York City, where people have a right to shelter. In our 128 years working with individuals and families in need, we’ve seen the life-changing, life-saving impact of access to safe shelter and affordable housing. More than half of Americans are just one missed paycheck from homelessness. This looming crisis is especially dire in areas like New York, where the cost of living is skyrocketing, the cost of housing is increasing more rapidly than inflation, and the housing vacancy rate is just 1.4 percent. This ruling serves as a wake-up call for New York, which must fulfill its commitments to building affordable housing and aggressively defend its right to shelter. It is our moral obligation—and VOA-GNY’s mission—to continue to provide support to those in our communities who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. Read the statement on our website here: https://lnkd.in/eEvj4Mmw #JohnsonVGrantsPass #HousingNotHandcuffs #HousingIsAHumanRight

This Pride Month, as we celebrate the strides made for LGBTQ+ rights, we must continue to advocate for housing justice and equality. 🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ individuals are twice as likely to experience homelessness at some point in their lives. They’re also more likely to remain unsheltered, faced with a shelter system that’s divided by gender binary and a lack of alternate options. One proven solution is the “housing first” approach. VOA-GNY's Street to Home program, which uses a ”housing first” philosophy, has been successful at helping LGBTQ+ individuals—especially trans-identifying individuals—secure permanent, affordable housing without requiring shelter stays first. Read more in our new op-ed for amNewYork by VOA-GNY Chief of Staff Nick Brasse: https://lnkd.in/eC4va38x #VOAGNY #PrideMonth #LGBTQ #HousingJustice #Equality

School’s out, Operation Backpack® is IN! 🎒 Today is the last day of school for nearly one million public school students in NYC. While most kids are just starting their break, VOA-GNY is already hard at work preparing for the fall to provide backpacks and supplies to students experiencing homelessness. As the number of children living in NYC shelters reaches a new record of 50,000, we can’t afford to take the summer off. We need your support! Donate today or get started as a team! 👐 You can set up a fundraising team and raise money among your colleagues, family, friends, and network. Your company can also get involved through sponsorships and in-kind donations. Give today or learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ezK_r2Tg #VOAGNY #OperationBackpackNYC

Last week, volunteers from HSBC cooked up some burgers and hot dogs on the grill to kick off the summer with our residents at Commonwealth Residence, one of our permanent supportive housing programs for individuals who have experienced homelessness, including many veterans! 🌞🍔🌭 A big thank you to all the volunteers who joined us! Your efforts brought smiles, great food, and a sense of community to our clients! #VOAGNY #CommunityImpact

Thank you to SIM NY Metro members Herb Hofmann, Shar Rubio and Judy Arteche-Carr for joining us at yesterday's partnership summit on the intersection of philanthropy and technology!

🌟 Happy Father's Day to all dads and father figures! 🌟 This Father’s Day, we’re celebrating the resilience and dedication of individuals like Kelvin, a father of three and a VOA-GNY client. After leaving the military, Kelvin worked long hours for a low wage to support his family—but he didn’t mind, if it meant they could stay together. Eventually, to keep the family together, Kelvin had to enter the shelter system arriving at VOA-GNY’s Bushwick Family Residence, where he received the essential support he and his children needed, including school supplies through Operation Backpack ®. Read the full story on how Kelvin secured permanent housing for his family, with VOA-GNY staff's help here: https://lnkd.in/ez6Vff8M #VOAGNY #FathersDay #BecauseofVOAGNY

📣 Our PSAs are now on the subway! 🚇 VOA-GNY is expanding our public education initiative to reach and educate more New Yorkers on the link between domestic violence and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), following the successful PSAs that ran in NYC buses during March for Brain Injury Awareness Month. VOA-GNY launched a pilot program in partnership with Safe Living Space in 2022 to screen individuals entering our seven domestic violence programs for possible brain injury and connect clients with suspected TBIs to the proper follow-up care. Survivors in need of a safe place to stay are encouraged to call our 24/7 hotline at 1-855-643-RISE (7473) or chat with us at voa-gny.org/dv. Look for our ads across all subway lines during the month of June, and please take a photo and tag us! #DomesticViolenceAwareness #TBI #PublicServiceAnnouncement #NYCSubway #VOAGNY

Congratulations to Nick Brasse, VOA-GNY's Chief of Staff, who has been named by Crain's New York Business as one of their 2024 “20 In Their 20s” honorees! As Chief of Staff at VOA-GNY, Nick dedicates his energy to addressing critical issues and inspiring his colleagues to use, “All of their effort, all of their talent, all of their expertise,” to help New Yorkers. He directly supervises 11 staffers, oversees strategic initiatives and public policy, works on fundraising and attracting donors, and manages marketing and communications efforts. Even with these extensive responsibilities, Nick says his top priority remains supporting VOA-GNY's frontline staff. “The way you can be most impactful in human services is through servant leadership and really thinking about how you can be supportive of your colleagues and the clients served.”    Please join us in congratulating Nick!     https://lnkd.in/ecRG3dDg  

In just one year at the Bronx Early Learning Center (BELC), Tommy, a lively 4-year-old with autism, has blossomed from silence to song. 🎶 When Tommy first arrived at the BELC, he was nonverbal and easily overwhelmed by new experiences. Now, he loves singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," jumping on the trampoline, climbing, and running—all within the nurturing environment of the BELC. Now, with the end of the school year approaching, Tommy is gearing up for the next step: kindergarten. “I think he’ll do good,” says Tommy’s teacher, Ms. Gonzalez. “He’s gotten so independent. He comes in happy now. At first, he would come into school angry—now he comes in smiling and happy.” Read the rest of Tommy’s story here: https://lnkd.in/gYjFFqDP