Habitat for Humanity – NYC
www.habitatnyc.org
Habitat for Humanity–NYC transforms lives and our city by uniting New Yorkers around the cause of decent and affordable housing for everyone. Founded in 1984 as an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, Habitat–NYC builds in all five boroughs, completing about 25 houses each year. Current projects include a 41-unit environmentally friendly condominium in the Ocean Hill-Brownsville section of Brooklyn.
Homes are built with the “sweat equity” of family partner homeowners who work side-by-side with volunteers. Professional contractors build the exterior shells to code, and the volunteers do the interior construction. Each year, more than 10,000 New Yorkers from faith institutions, corporations, schools and civic groups come to build with Habitat and learn more about how to help solve New York’s affordable housing crisis.
For volunteer opportunities through Brick Church, click here.
Jan Hus Presbyterian Church
www.janhus.org
Jan Hus Presbyterian Church has a long history in New York City as an advocate for disenfranchised members of the community. Its Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program (HOAP) provides a variety of direct services to those in need — from a weekly dinner program and pantry services, to counseling, referrals and emergency grants. HOAP also works in coalition with other organizations to mobilize and advocate for a change in policies that affect the low-income, poor and homeless populations of New York City.
Jan Hus is a founding member of the East Side Congregations for Housing Justice and works collaboratively with other groups, including The East Side Homeless Network, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter to provide the greatest possible services and support for its clients and to advance forward-thinking policies aimed at ending homelessness as we know it.
For volunteer opportunities through Brick Church, click here.
Eviction Intervention Services
www.eisny.org
Eviction Intervention Services (EIS) was founded in 1984 to serve low and moderate-income tenants in midtown Manhattan’s East Side. This work began in response to requests from community neighborhood hospitals, universities, public schools, churches, synagogues, senior citizen’s and social service organizations that identified a need for a full time program to deal with basic housing problems and related services. EIS helps tenants understand how their apartments and buildings should be maintained, how to read leases and rent increases, and how to form tenant associations in their buildings. The needs of the community have shaped the priorities of EIS. Therefore, EIS has evolved to become a homelessness prevention organization.
Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing
The Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing is a community of women and men, homeless, formerly homeless and housed, from different faith traditions who help sustain an environment in which those who have been homeless can recover from the trauma associated with their homelessness and begin to rebuild their lives and re-enter society.
Since 1986, the assembly has been providing numerous integrated services to men and women who are or have been homeless. These include life skills classes, support groups, computer training, job readiness, internships, job placement, and the use of their offices as a base of operation as people confront the day-to-day challenges of navigating the system and trying to rebuild their lives. Many of the program graduates work in positions where they provide services and assistance to others who have been homeless. In addition, Interfaith Assembly advocates for public policies that seek to address issues impacting their lives including policies that will produce affordable housing, prevent homelessness, provide important services, and promote income and employment.
Pathways to Housing
www.pathwaystohousing.org
Founded in 1992, Pathways to Housing offers scattered site permanent housing to homeless individuals with psychiatric disabilities and addictions. Despite the challenges this population presents, Pathways is unique in what it does not require of its residents: “graduation” from other transitional programs, sobriety, or acceptance of supportive services. The vast majority of clients are moved directly from the streets into permanent, private market housing. The program then uses Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams to deliver services to clients in their homes. The ACT teams help clients to meet basic needs, enhance quality of life, increase social skills, and increase employment opportunities. The program currently serves over 400 people.