Care For the Homeless

Help keep homeless New Yorkers healthy and warm this winter. Share the warmth and donate to the Care for the Homeless Winter Drive. Interested in organizing a collection drive? Download the 2013 Winter Drive Poster here or call the Development Office at (212) 366-4459 ext. 202 to learn more. Thank you for making a difference for homeless individuals and families this winter.

Guanita is one of the 46,000 homeless people, more than 19,000 of them children, who sleep in the city’s shelter system every night – 30% more than only five years ago. But now, Care for the Homeless is helping Guanita find shelter…and hope. After a series of medical setbacks, including multiple surgeries on her foot, Guanita’s medical expenses became too great and she was unable to pay her rent.    She ended up seeking shelter through public assistance, moving from shelter to shelter in New York. After a heart attack forced her into an extended hospital stay and ultimately to Susan’s Place, the 200-bed shelter for medically frail and mentally ill women that Care for the Homeless operates in the Bronx. Guanita was in need of a medically capable facility and the clinic at Susan’s Place was a perfect solution.  “I feel more confident,” Guanita said about being at Susan’s Place. “It’s better having a clinic here. Since I’ve come here, I haven’t had as many ...

The Job Readiness program at Susan's Place takes homeless health care a step further. By offering a 12-week program to teach skills that will equip residents for obtaining future employment. Care for the Homeless partners with the staff of the New York Public Library’s Grand Concourse Branch (155 E 173 rd St., Bronx), and the Davidson Community Center (2038 Davidson Ave., Bronx) to provide training to program participants. Participants learn adult literacy (reading, writing, and math skills), basic computer skills, job preparation necessities (resume and cover letter writing, interview skills, job searching) and life management skills (strategizing, coping and stress management). Participants also intern at Susan’s Place Monday through Thursday for 12-15 hours per week, Monday-Thursday. Intern positions include Sales Associate at Classic Re-Runs, our non-cash boutique of donated clothes; Dining Hall Assistant, who maintains a clean and organized dining area; a...

--> --> At the HELP Supportive Employment Center on Wards Island, Care for the Homeless Medical Case Manager Anisha Perez-Miller works with homeless men. Most of these men have recently left prison to find themselves alone and without jobs. These men arrive with barely any belongings and are in need of the mental health counseling that Anisha can give them. “I have an open door policy,” Anisha says. “I’m available. I see the men whether they’re coming out of prison or from Bellevue and I give them a needs assessment regarding mental health services. The men usually want psyche evaluations done and I link them up to one of our psychiatrists. I link them up to medical services, help them with their education about Medicaid and do supportive counseling.” As she works with the men, Anisha has found that one way to engage the clients is through distributing toiletries and other personal care items as incentive for coming to meet with her.   “It’s really very simpl...

Be sure to check out Care For the Homeless' Executive Director Bobby Watts on the Huffington Post! He was named "Greatest Person of the Day!" Congrats Bobby! Click HERE to read the article.

We know you love Broadway shows and we know you love helping the homeless. Why not do both at the same time? We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Givenik.com, a website that sells DISCOUNT Broadway and Off-Broadway show tickets. Here's how it works: You go onto the website and pick which show you want to see.  You purchase tickets at a DISCOUNTED price  Care for the Homeless gets 5% of the ticket sale. It's that simple! So make Givenik.com your home for buying show tickets and make sure you go through the Care for the Homeless page to do so.  Click HERE to check out the CFH page on Givenik.com!

On Wednesday July 27, Susan's Place, our shelter in the Bronx for mentally ill and medically frail homeless women, was damaged by a massive water main break on Jerome Avenue. Thankfully, all the residents were safely evacuated to other shelters and Susan's Place is now functioning as the "command center" for all the city agencies that responded to the disaster. The women were evacuated at 6:15 a.m., most in their robes and pajamas. the women need new, or nearly new clothing and shoes (larger sizes are especially needed). Your financial contributions will also help us replace items destroyed in this emergency. Donations of clothing may be left at Care for the Homeless' main office: 30 E. 33rd St., Fifth floor between Park and Madison Avenues. Thank you for your assistance. To DONATE, click HERE .

Working as a Medicaid consultant, Leslie Bell had been to Susan’s Place while doing chart reviews, but it was a chance conversation with Lesley Moody, a Health Educator for CFH, that really showed her what Susan’s Place and CFH was all about. Drawn by wanting to help the women there, she applied for an available position with the agency and after waiting for months, she got the call she had been hoping for. “I just knew I was going to be here. When I got that phone call to come in, I didn’t just come over, I ran over,” she laughs. “It’s a blessing because I’ve always been interested in working with the homeless population.” Leslie’s passion for helping people emerged years earlier, when her sister passed away after a battle with HIV.  She promised her sister she would learn more about HIV and how to help others with the disease. “I was there every step of the way with her,” Leslie said. “I was interested in working with the AIDS population because it hit close to home. Seve...