HFH 2023 IMPACT REPORT
Welcome to our interactive 2023 Impact Report. For a PDF version of the report, view HERE or download HERE. For video highlights, scroll to the bottom of this page or view on our homepage. If you would like to receive a hard copy, please email Contact@HFHnyc.org to request a copy while supplies last.
ON THE COVER: Original New York City artwork, Ink on Paper, by Alisson, age 13, First Prize Winner in Prospect Family Residence’s Afterschool & Recreation Program’s “What Does Love Feel Like” art contest featuring HFH house with the heart logo, 2023.
“I’m learning how to swim more and
more … I CAN ALMOST SWIM! I CAN ALMOST SWIM!”
William, 8, Camper, Camp Wakonda sleepaway camp
“Love it here. Thank you, Allie’s Place, for all that you do, have done, and will do—providing services—for myself and other individuals from the community. Much appreciated.”
Student, Pastry Arts, Allie’s Place Center for Culinary Education & Employment
“We love how you support the kids and their families and are thrilled to be your partner. Our team is really looking forward to participating [in the end-of-session Camp Carnival] again in August [2024].”
Chris Auld, Donor, Volunteer, Corporate Partner, Managing Director and Head of Leveraged Finance, Stifel
“This is a direct effort towards economic recovery, right? This is bringing people that are unemployed or underemployed toward full employment through a job-training effort that gives them the opportunity to have a livable wage, have a trade where there is upward economic mobility, and [will bring] money back into our community.”
Council Member Amanda Farias on “News12 The Bronx” about Allie’s Place Center for Culinary Education & Employment
“I always knew that I wanted to work with people … I like that we focus on the families and their well-being as the goal [at HFH].”
Elizabeth Castillo, Clinton Family Residence Director of Family Services
Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Friends,
The last few years have been years of tremendous change: in our world, our state, our city, and right here at Homes for the Homeless (HFH).
You may recall in our last report, you were greeted with a message from HFH’s former President and CEO, Dr. Ralph da Costa Nunez, who headed up HFH and its affiliates for more than 35 years. He brought the organization from the early days of family homelessness in NYC, when there were 4,183 families with children in the New York City shelter system, to 2020—forever imprinted in our minds as the year the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
I began my career with HFH in 2008 as an Operations Associate at HFH’s Prospect Family Residence, and I am now proud to lead this organization as its Executive Director. But I do not do this work alone. Right beside me is a team: more than 445 passionate staff members across the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, along with our dedicated volunteers, partners, and board members, all dedicated to our mission and those we serve.
As we look toward the future, we are even more committed than ever to our mission—operating shelters for families experiencing homelessness by offering an array of onsite programs, many of which are also open to the local community. As has always been true to HFH, our goal is to have a positive impact so families can thrive long after they leave our shelters.
As a social services agency with a network of six sites, there is a great advantage to our model of family residences that lets us operate both individualized facilities and share lessons learned to both each other and publicly. We look at trends in our population but also to individual wins—the child who is so excited to learn how to swim at our sleepaway camp, the parents who are empowered to be their child’s first teacher, or the mother who learns a trade at our on-site program that enables them to have a career.
The work we have done at HFH is simply incredible and I’m proud to work alongside our staff and partners to get that done. Family homelessness is and has been a worthwhile challenge and HFH continues to be ready for it.
Sincerely,
John Greenwood
Executive Director
Making an Impact
Family Services
An expecting mom. A single father with a toddler. Two parents and two kids. A grandparent with a teenager. These are the diverse faces of the families who walk through the doors of our HFH family residences. Creating individualized service plans to help each of them move from where they are when they first join us to where they want to be when they leave is at the heart of what we do.
Maintaining health and safety for residents and staff was our main focus at the height of the pandemic. Shelter activity was limited by social distancing. Families remained in their units while staff connected with families by phone. The critical face-to-face time where trusted relationships are nurtured between client and case worker suffered. Family services operations knew that post-COVID they needed to re-engage clients to overcome barriers to in-person interactions that had developed. Through conversations with administrators, family service team members, clients, and the help of HFH’s in-house policy unit, we addressed the issue, creating new guidance and training for staff and concentrating on engaging clients in becoming active participants in their own outcomes.
Starting in 2021, the agency increased our focus on face-to-face client engagement, and by 2023 we had a 98% increase in case management services. This engagement resulted in more move outs, more clients seeking community-based services, higher employment rates, and enrollment for children’s activities increased.
This cross-divisional collaboration ultimately made the biggest difference in the lives of the children, and their families.
By the Numbers
Top Three Reasons for homelessness
Discord, Overcrowding, and Domestic Violence
Employment Services
According to a recent report by the Economic Roundtable, “The Work Behind Work,” the most common reason people experiencing homelessness give for losing their housing is unemployment or lack of income. HFH focuses on employability through Allie’s Place Center for Culinary Education & Employment, which provides free, hands-on job training for adults from any HFH Family Residence, as well as members of the local community. Whether you are currently experiencing homelessness, unemployed, under-employed, or want to gain skills to climb farther up the culinary career ladder, the Center is a crucial resource. In 2023, 132 people graduated from the program with 40% employed since completion of the program. The Center also added a Pastry Arts training track and began developing a Hospitality program to give graduates exposure to “front-of-the-house” skills like beverage service, hosting, and more.
At Saratoga Family Residence, Family Works trains enrolled adult members on-site for jobs in safety (security) and housekeeping and maintenance. According to Saratoga Administrator Mike Fahy, “It is a good program to get clients ready for jobs, for those who have no work experience. They get on their feet, have success with a job, have a reference and something substantive on their resume.” He sees this as a critical way to assist certain residents in their plan to exit shelter. Twenty-six participants graduated the program in 2023 with 46% employed or in the process of obtaining a job and 76% who moved out of the shelter.
Children’s Programs
Every HFH family residence runs programs for children. Some have on-site Early Childhood Education Centers, where children from the site and the community learn together in NYC DOE 3-k and pre-k classes. Other sites operate on-site daycare or afterschool programs available for youngsters while their parents are working or attending important appointments. Highlights in 2023 included field trips, partnerships, and artist-in-residence programs featuring collaborations from teaching artists in the fields of creative writing, music, dance and movement, and a host of other genres. These activities expose children to art, culture, and physical activities outside the classroom—and shelter. They visited the Museum of Natural History and the Ice Cream Museum, participated in an interactive workshop on making videos at a professional studio, and literally jumped at the chance to get active at Sky Zone. Animals—like a chinchilla from Peru and a bearded dragon—made visits to their classrooms along with soccer, stepping, and science series.
By the Numbers
HFH Summer Camps
Nearly 100 children, some attending more than one session, were once again transported to the world of Camp Wakonda for HFH Summer Camps 2023, our second season open after being closed during the pandemic. Days were filled rotating through activities—from playing sports to learning about the solar system at the exploration station. Kids took a field trip to the Twin Lakes Regional Nature Museum, and embarked on nature hikes where they reflected on the sights and sounds of nature, including frogs and toads to all types of bugs and critters. The campsite is outfitted with an arts space including a raised stage, perfect for drama, music, and choreographed dances that the kids practice for their much-anticipated camper and counselor talent night.
The lake and water activities steal the show with some campers brushing up on their swimming skills while others swam their first strokes guided by skilled instructors. Campers also added canoeing to their repertoire, filled up on healthy foods and the occasional sweet treats, learned arts and crafts techniques, and viewed the stars amid the night sky free of city lights and tall buildings. Of course, there were campfires and lots of s’mores. There’s plenty of time for summer reading and journaling, especially before bed, as well as pajama parties in the cabins campers share with their new friends and counselors. Time and again when asked about the best part of camp, spending time with friends tops the list.
Counselors hail from all over the world—ranging from Poland and Hungary to New Zealand and Colombia—giving kids a glimpse into other languages and cultures. Children also delighted in an old-fashioned camp tradition, Camp Carnival. At the end of each session, campers are able to relive these memories with yearbook-style memory books that recap their experiences. Photos capture day one’s excitement and apprehension on the bus ride to camp to day sevens’s reluctant good-byes to their new friends and beloved counselors.
By the Numbers
HFH Family Residences & HFH Summer Camps 2023
Allie's Place
Est. 2020. Soundview neighborhood, Bronx.Serving up to 99 families with 90 children on any given day.
Clinton
Est. 2022. Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, Manhattan.Serving up to 81 families with 90 children on any given day.
Island
Est. 2023.Staten Island.Serving up to 109 families with 103 children on any given day.
Prospect
Est. 1986.South Bronx.Serving up to 88 families with 90 children on any given day.
Saratoga
Est. 1987.Jamaica, Queens.Serving up to 255 families with 335 children on any given day.
Williamsbridge
Est. 2004. Gun Hill Road Section, Bronx.Serving up to 88 families with 72 children on any given day.
Culinary Center
Est. 2020. Soundview Neighborhood, BronxCulinary job-training center serving adults in families experiencing homelessness and members of the local community. 132 graduates
HFH Summer Camps
Camp Wakonda,Est. 1989.Sleepaway Summer Camp for ages 7 – 11. Serving up to 180 campers
“I’m excited but I am also scared too at the same time, but I feel like the experience will be great for them to interact with other kids and actually go away and not be around family. It’s like an early go away to college getaway. Go away, branch out, see how life is, you know have fun but still come back and be a kid though.”
Mother of 7-year-old at Clinton Family Residence on her feelings about sending her children to Camp Wakonda
“I am starting a bracelet business with one of my best friends. I have been thinking about putting up a big sign—something eye-catching that you can’t miss. I always wanted to own a small business. I like the idea of not working for anybody.”
Quesia, Participant in Saratoga Afterschool & Recreation Youth Entrepreneurship Program
“Having a safe space where parents and/or guardians are able to partake in the activities is important because they too need a break from everyday stresses, a chance to get in the holiday spirit and moreover—they get to witness the joy on the children’s faces, and that joy is infectious. We hold these events to spread holiday cheer and love. It’s as simple—yet equally as important—as that!”
Shana McCormick, Executive Director of RAP4Bronx, Volunteer & Partner
“Our parents are eager for their kids to learn and to be exposed to educational activities outside of the traditional classroom setting. Letting them know that there are resources out there that they can tap into was a strong message that PBS/WNET gave to the families that told them ‘You are in control of your child’s learning.’”
David Belmar, Allie’s Place Director of Afterschool & Recreation about a series of “Let’s Learn” family workshops that put a spotlight on literacy for children and their caregivers
“I felt like this was a great opportunity to bring kids to nature and let them have that experience because a lot of these children have not been to camp before and it might be their first time with access to green space.”
Brianna Rodriguez, Nature Specialist HFH Summer Camps 2023 Season
“I was in the shelter system and got to go to HFH Summer Camps. I hope others can do the same.”
Bianca, Donor and former Camper on why she donates
Board of Directors
Homes for the Homeless
Leonard N. Stern
Founder & Chair Emeritus
David Webb
Chair
(212) 529-5252
HFHnyc.org
Contact@HFHnyc.org
GetInvolved@HFHnyc.org
@HFH_NYC
HFHNYC
HFHNYC
@HFH_nyc
Harris Barer
Helaine Barnett
Paige Bartels
Steven Cohen
Richard Finkelstein
Shelly Friedman
Susanne C. Hurowitz
Peter K. Jenik
Michael Kalmus
Luke Nasta
Ralph da Costa
Nunez, PhD
Andrea Stern
Dane Wesley
We are grateful to all those who make supplementary services and activities possible through volunteering, grants, and in-kind and monetary donations each year. Thank you to our HFH Board of Directors for their leadership and sound stewardship of financial resources ensuring that we can provide continuity of operations, programming, and services to New York City families. To donate overall or to a specific program, please email GetInvolved@HFHnyc.org.
