A Message from Our CEO
As I look back on the past year, I am awed by the creativity and resiliency of our residents, staff and supporters.
Generous volunteers provided cleaning supplies and homemade masks, organized a weekly hot meal delivery, held donation drives at their businesses, and provided holiday gifts to lift the spirits of the homeless families, seniors and LGBTQ young people we serve.
We’ve compiled a partial list of volunteer contributions.
Staff went above and beyond to help residents feel safe. Mina Chauhan, director of LGBTQ supportive housing in the Bronx, personally went grocery shopping for a tenant fearful of leaving their apartment due to COVID-19.
Residents supported each other and advocated for their communities—Z., a young adult tenant at our West Harlem LGBTQ site, helped organize an onsite voter registration drive.
Young mothers at our Upper West Side intergenerational residence showed fierce determination to be positive role models for their children. You can read about Naomi, a young mother of two sons, in this newsletter.
The challenges of the pandemic cannot be overstated. COVID-19 limited residents’ ability to find work, find and maintain childcare, and move to more independent housing. Group activities, a core part of our work, were limited. We were able to adapt some activities to small group and virtual sessions, but, like all of us, residents have felt the effects of limited social interaction.
Now, the future looks brighter. As vaccination rates increase and more of the economy opens, we look forward to residents recommitting to achieve goals that may have been postponed this past year.
You can stay up to date on how our residents and staff are doing by following us on social media @HomewardNYC and signing up for email news at www.homeward.nyc/updates.
Thank you so much for your kindness, creativity and contributions this past year. Your generosity is life-changing for homeless young mothers, children, LGBTQ young adults and seniors.
All the best,
Jeannette K. Ruffins
Chief Executive Officer
June 2021
Homeward News June 2021… includes Your Impact in 2020 and Honor Roll of Donors: