Care For the Homeless

Victor's Story Nothing but a man doing what he loves. Music is Victor’s life. He’s partial to jazz, jump blues, R&B, and classic soul, but is up for any style as long as he can play the drums. As a successful freelancer, Victor has shared his talents with a number of different groups at a number of different venues. However, for the past three years, he’s played consistently at the famous Red Rooster Restaurant in Harlem, NY. Coincidentally, it was also three years ago that Victor first visited Care For the Homeless’ (CFH) Health Center at the Living Room/Safe Haven Shelter in the Bronx, NY. “I was on heroin for 25-years before I came to the Living Room,” said Victor. “Since then I’ve been on Suboxone, which I take three times a day.” Victor’s condition began all those years ago while he was out on tour. He recalled, “It was the 80s and I was on tour with a major artist at the time. Whether we were all just hanging out or travelling on the tour bus, there were...

Addressing the Whole Person Dr. Littleton with a Patient The streets outside the Care For the Homeless (CFH) Health Center (located at the Living Room/Safe Haven Shelter) rattle with a rhythm that should be familiar to most New Yorkers. Semi-trucks blow by, footsteps patter on the sidewalk, and the nearest park teems with laughing children. Across the street, a Dominican monastery stands as tall and proud as the day it was built in 1891, adding a touch of history to the area. Conversely, the rhythm inside the halls of the shelter and health center are anything but familiar. Located in the Bronx, the Living Room/Safe Haven a is a 24-hour, open access drop-in site, meaning anyone experiencing street homelessness is welcome to come in and spend time off the streets. CFH site partner BronxWorks offers hot meals, showers, laundry, and housing services to compliment the medical services provided by CFH. Despite the similarities it shares with other CFH sites, the Living Ro...

One factor that has increased the number of people experiencing homelessness in New York City is the eviction of low-income tenants from their homes. Historically, a low-income tenant facing an eviction proceeding in Housing Court was at a serious disadvantage compared to their landlord because of one very important factor, landlords always had legal representation. To counter this imbalance, in 2017, NYC became the first city to adopt the Right to Counsel (RTC), also known as Local Law 136, that established a right to free legal counsel in eviction cases. This major step forward in protecting low income tenants came after many years of advocacy by dedicated organizations and individuals supporting the rights of tenants facing the potential loss of housing. RTC provides tenants with household incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, $50,200 annually for a family of four , with no cost access to attorneys. Legal representation for an individual facing an eviction ...

Brooklyn Councilmember Antonio Reynoso joined CFH Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Regina Olasin, in touring our health center located at Peter Jay Sharp in April during our HIV Awareness Carnival. Councilmember Reynoso and Dr. Regina Olasin spoke about the health challenges that people experiencing homelessness face and what CFH does to address those challenges. Those efforts include a highly successful citywide Peer Outreach program that trains and employs currently or formerly homeless peers to locate unstably housed individuals not currently accessing health care services and provide them with the information and aid necessary to increase proper utilization. Councilmember Reynoso also took the opportunity to speak to CFH Staff, including our very own Peer Outreach Specialist, Crystal Santana, who spoke of the positive impact that the outreach program has in communities where people face incredible challenges accessing quality lifesaving services.  At CFH we provide primary medic...

You can Help Support People  Experiencing Homelessness in NYC. Here's How! Summer is almost here and while many will enjoy the warm temperatures, cool swims, and other luxuries, our homeless neighbors will continue to struggle. Care For the Homeless is currently collecting items to create Personal Care Kits. Your generous donation will help support the essential needs of so many New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. Date: April 15 - June 1 What We Need: Soap/Body Wash Shampoo/Conditioner Toothpaste Toothbrushes Deodorant Sunscreen Wet Wipes Feminine Care Products *Full Size Products are Preferable Drop Off Location: Care For the Homeless 30 E. 33rd St. 5th Floor New York, NY Other Ways You can Help Care For the Homeless: 1. Host/Organize a personal care kit drive at your office, community group, place of worship, or your friends. We can help you organize this! For any and all assistance, please contact Brian Myers at ...

Empowering Patients, Forging Relationships Care For the Homeless Nurse Practitioner Joy Favuzza Care For the Homeless’ (CFH) Jackson Health Center sits comfortably in the eastern sector of the Bronx’s Mott Haven neighborhood. Amidst the vibrant activity on the streets and sidewalks, is the hustle and bustle of the Bruckner Expressway and the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, both of which are within viewing distance. Down below the pavement, the 6-train echoes loud and clear. To the building’s side is a colorful, lightly worn playground. Its many slides, bridges, and ladders provide the perfect setting for any kid’s imagination to run wild. But, on a morning as cold as March 13th, it was understandably empty. But, now as the weather begins to warm, it’s easy to envision those slides and ladders overrun, and teeming with laughter. The CFH Health Center is co-located in the Jackson Family Residence, a living space for homeless families. The site is operated by CFH site partner...

Please join us in welcoming our two newest members of the Board of Directors. Harry K. Thomas began his diplomatic career in 2003, when he was appointed as the United States Ambassador to Bangladesh. Over the course of his nearly 15-year career, he would also serve as Ambassador to the Philippines and Zimbabwe. In between ambassador roles, Thomas also served as Director General of the Foreign Service and as Executive Secretary and Special Assistant to Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. On his new role with CFH, Thomas commented, “I joined the Board because I believe that 'we the people’ can and must, solve the challenges that homelessness presents. I know that the world's wealthiest nation can improve our homeless sisters and brothers lives. CFH is the leading organization that is working to overcome this obstacle in NYC, my hometown. I will work with the Board Members to broaden the depth and breadth of CFH's reach and outcomes.” Joining Thomas i...

Home Stability Support (HSS) Assembly-member Hevesi speaking at Homeless Persons' Memorial Day 2018   Assembly member Andrew Hevesi is continuing his fight in Albany to pass the Home Stability Support (HSS) Legislation, something that he spoke about at our 2018 Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. Care for the Homeless and our client leaders, have been advocating for this legislation to raise the housing subsidy available to New Yorkers receiving public assistance up to 85% of the average fair market rent established by the federal Department of Urban Development (HUD), for a community based on family size.  HSS is a statewide rent supplement for families and individuals who are eligible for public assistance benefits as well as for those facing eviction, homelessness, or loss of housing due to domestic violence or hazardous living conditions. There are currently 171,000 households in New York receiving the public assistance “shelter allowance”, but the...

Right at Home Brooklyn native Dr. Nickisha Berlus began her career as a provider with Care For the Homeless (CFH) on November 5 th , 2018. Since then, she’s been practicing at CFH’s Health Center at the Bushwick Family Residence in Brooklyn, NY. There she serves families and children who are mostly under-insured or uninsured. As much as she loves serving her community, family medical care wasn’t always Dr. Berlus’ first choice. “I initially went into medicine to go into surgery,” Dr. Berlus reminisced, “but when I was at Robert Wood Johnson in Camden, NJ, I did the Hot Clinic Health Outreach program.” The program was designed for medical students to follow patients who were similarly under-insured or uninsured, to the various emergency rooms 1  and specialty clinics   they would frequent. Dr. Berlus commented, “It was my patient at the Hot Clinic that deterred my original professional route. I was in my 4 th year of school, she was in her mid-50s, ...