TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AT PROJECT RENEWAL
What does it take to run a homeless services organization in New York City? employees working around the clock.
Dear Friends, As a native New Yorker, I vividly remember what the Bowery looked like in the 1960s. Often, my family would drive past this area on our way to visiting relatives on the Lower East Side. It was a troubling site—scores of homeless men lying on the street. It remains etched in my mind and I often think it is one of the reasons why I have devoted most of my career to helping those in need. Today, I am honored to be the President and CEO of an organization dedicated to fighting homelessness. Because we know it is hard to understand everything that goes into this work, I am excited to give you a glimpse into 24 hours at Project Renewal’s 16 sites and 36 programs. As I always say at staff meetings, Project Renewal’s successes are built on the tremendous dedication, commitment and compassion of our 800 employees. These men and women work hard to keep our shelters, transitional and permanent housing, health, mental health, substance abuse, and job placement programs running and thriving 365 days a year. At any given hour, our staff is working tirelessly—chefs preparing hot and nutritious breakfasts at 4 am, a case manager helping a family reunite in their new apartment at 3:30 pm and a nurse practitioner taking vitals on our mobile medical clinic at 9 pm. Our staff makes it possible to achieve our mission: to empower men, women and children to renew their lives with health, homes and jobs. We started in 1967 with the first detox for homeless men in New York City serving roughly 45 clients. Now, we serve more than 16,000 New Yorkers a year across the five boroughs. As we have grown and evolved, we have remained steadfast in one belief—that Project Renewal will rise to any challenge because no one should be homeless. In this newsletter, we provide you with a unique look at our comprehensive, around-the-clock services and the dedicated staff members who keep them running. As always, we thank you for your continued support, which enables our remarkable team to transform thousands of lives each year. Sincerely, Project Renewal 200 Varick St. 9th Floor NY, NY 10014 projectrenewal.org 212-620-0340
Mitchell Netburn President & CEO
Homes Health David Wood Physician Assistant
Stephanie Seward Licensed Practical Nurse
David Wood knows that many people who are homeless are reluctant to seek out medical care. That is why he travels into subway stations and alleyways to make sure that homeless New Yorkers get the primary care services they need. A dedicated physician assistant on our mobile medical van staff since 1994, David earns patients’ trust and respect by taking the time to get to know each of them as individuals, ensuring that first-time clients will not hesitate to come back.
For women who are battling homelessness while struggling with addiction or mental illness, hope can be fleeting. But Stephanie Seward knows how to boost morale, acting as a support system for her clients while holding them accountable. As a nurse at our New Providence Women’s Shelter, she provides medical and psychiatric care for her clients as they move forward on the road to renewal. “Stephanie has a sense of humor and a laugh that is infectious,” says Ann Grogan, Director of Psychiatric Nurse Operations at New Providence. “When situations get tense, she calms everyone’s nerves.”
David is one of 15 clinical staff working in our mobile medical clinics, which operate six days a week in 18 locations across the city.
Edwin Colon Operations Coordinator
Janie Thomas Senior Residential Aide
Eddie Colon can relate to many of our clients: he served time in prison and has a history of substance abuse. But today, as Operations Coordinator at Geffner House, he draws on his own experiences to inspire mentally ill men and women to renew their lives. “Hardly a day goes by without a staff member or tenant going to Eddie as a confidante and seeking his guidance,” says Kiltie Bedford, his supervisor.
Making sure that 175 homeless men—many struggling with mental illness and addiction—are settled safely into their assigned beds each night is challenging work. Janie Thomas does that and more at our Third Street Men’s Shelter. Hired after going through our Next Step job placement program, she was quickly promoted to Senior Residential Aide. Beyond simply keeping track of headcounts and curfews, Janie treats clients with compassion and care. Our shelters are managed around the clock by 280 shelter staff members.
Jobs Simone Ford Employment and Vocational Specialist
Ronald Johnson Employment Coordinator
Many employers would not consider hiring a homeless or formerly homeless individual. Simone Ford’s job is to convince them otherwise. As an Employment and Vocational Specialist at our Next Step job placement program, Simone builds and maintains relationships with workforce development consortiums, local businesses, and banks that give our clients a shot at a job and financial stability. Her work has paid off: Simone has coordinated numerous successful hiring events in 2015, resulting in more than 25 job offers for our clients.
Much of our Culinary Arts Training Program’s (CATP) job placement success can be attributed to the relationships that Employment Coordinator Ron Johnson has built and maintained with corporate partners. With Ron handling all the problems that come up in the job placement process and preparing applicants to make job commitments, employers can feel confident about hiring CATP graduates. Thanks to his hard work, program graduates are placed in jobs at double the rate of comparable programs nationwide.
We have 6 employment specialists who place our clients in jobs that pay an average of $10.18/hour; 83% remain employed after three months.
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS 11:00 pm
12:15 pm
A front desk clerk helps a resident bring in shopping packages.
Bowery Arts Program meets to help men in our detox program express themselves. A doctor at our health clinic prescribes blood pressure medication to a patient.
94%
1:00 pm
of the clients we move into apartments continue to live independently after 1 year.
1380 1380
10:00 pm
Staff turns out the lights at our
11:00 am
A vocational counselor conducts a mock interview at our Next Step employment program.
5
shelters.
10:45 am
An aide helps a homeless woman sign in to a bed for the night.
Shelter workers arrive for the overnight shift.
individuals are served in our vocational training programs each year.
An occupational therapy intern runs a cooking class for new housing residents.
9:00 pm
patients are treated at our clinics each year.
12:00 am
1:30 pm
A caseworker helps a family open their first bank account.
1:00 am
Residential aide responds to a client having a seizure.
2:30 pm
ScanVan staff provides free mammograms to 25 uninsured women.
2:00 am
men and women access Project Renewal's shelters each year.
Staff provides a bed for a new client sent by the Department of Homeless Services.
9:15 am
An entitlements counselor at New Providence, our women’s shelter, helps residents apply for food stamps.
homeless New Yorkers are provided a bed each night.
8:00 am
3:00 am
Our optometrist treats glaucoma, and our dentist fits dentures, in the first patients of the day.
250 2,500
Cooks arrive at our catering company.
meals prepared annually.
optometry patients and
8:30 pm
dental patients seen each year.
A nurse practitioner from our mobile medical program visits patients in Penn Station.
patients are served by our mobile medical vans every year.
3:00 pm
Staff meet a new client at parole and escort him to a new apartment.
7:30 am
Suits for Success donation room staff helps a client choose an outfit for his upcoming housing interview.
4:00 am
of our clients are moved from shelters to more permanent homes each year.
A program director meets with community members to discuss a neighborhood garden at our newest residence.
6:30 am
Maintenance staff paints a vacant apartment for a new tenant.
A case manager helps a family move out of a shelter and reunite in their own apartment.
18
Our drop-in detox center staff helps a new, intoxicated client get into bed safely.
cooks employed in our kitchens
4:15 pm
1,662
A doctor visits a disabled veteran in his apartment.
people receive addiction treatment per year.
men, women, and children live in our permanent apartments each year.
5:00 pm
7:30 pm
The manager of our Renewal Farm in Garrison, NY helps clients prepare produce for the next day's farmers’ market.
3:30 pm
Cooks start preparing hot and nutritious breakfasts for residents.
5:00 am
400
7:45 pm
mammograms are provided at 240 locations across NYC each year.
6:15 pm
A residential aide helps a homeless man take a shower for the first time in three months.
5:30 pm
Chefs teach formerly homeless trainees the art of pastry making at our Culinary Arts Training Program, which places graduates in jobs at double the rate of comparable programs.
Staff serves dinner at all our shelters.
dinners are served daily.
PROJECT RENEWAL All data from FY2014