Care For the Homeless

L to R: Renee, CM Cabrera, Darlene, and ED George Nashak Bronx Council Member Fernando Cabrera, earlier this month, joined Care for the Homeless’ (CFH) Executive Director George Nashak in touring CFH’s 200-bed transitional residence and community health center, Susan’s Place located in the Bronx. During his visit Council Member (CM) Cabrera spoke to Susan’s place residents, health center patients and staff. CM Cabrera has his blood pressure taken in CFH health center At the health center, medical providers showed the council member the facilities providing primary, preventative and ongoing medical and mental health care to patients, including dentistry. The councilperson had his blood pressure taken at the facility, which is an open access site, which it is open to the community and provides services to all people who are experiencing homelessness, unstably housed, or at risk of homelessness. No one is ever turned away at a CFH’s community health centers regardless of their...

CFH staff member hands a young boy a book in the waiting room of a health center. What comes to your mind when you think about a doctor’s office waiting room?  Outdated magazines? Clipboards with pages and pages of forms?  How about what a homeless child thinks about? The uncertainty or anxiety about what’s going to happen there—when there’s already so much of that in their lives? Thanks to our partnership with Reach Out and Read, we are transforming the waiting rooms in our family health centers into engaging and inviting resource spaces, providing free, age-appropriate books for our youngest patients, alleviating some—if not exactly all—of that anxiety.  The partnership has become an important tool in affirming for our patients experiencing homelessness, that health care can be a pleasant and empowering experience—for the whole family.  It was twenty seven years ago when two Boston Medical Center pediatricians realized their potential to have an impact on ...

On Monday, March 12, over 50 residents of Susan’s Place attended a Nutrition Carnival organized by Care for the Homeless (CFH). At the event, residents learned more about creating a healthier lifestyle by making better food choices. The event featured information and snack tables that actively engaged the residents via trivia and fun board games. In a post-event survey, many of the residents said they enjoyed the variety of information and activities that was offered during the event.  Residents try raw vegetables as a healthy snack option. “The games and volunteers were very informative, the snacks were healthy also,” said one resident of Susan’s Place. Snack stations introduced various healthy options to the residents including fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits and raw vegetables. Residents were also taught how to create healthier alternatives to juice, soda, and other high-sugar drinks. “I enjoyed learning how to make flavored water by using things like green tea, mint, and...

The above photos were taken by Steve Latimer, a volunteer photographer for Care for the Homeless (CFH) since December 2016. He first got involved with CFH after answering a request for a photographer on Volunteer Match. Steve says during his first encounter with employees at CFH, he saw “a group of dedicated individuals that are committed to working with people who are experiencing homelessness.” “I could tell CFH employees were trying to make life better for clients,” he said. But volunteering with CFH is not Steve’s first experience with helping individuals who are homeless. In 1966, Steve retired from his position as an officer in the Navy and in 1968, graduated from law school. He worked at a few law firms before starting to use his skills to help people who are experiencing homelessness while working for Bronx Legal Services. Having worked in the South Bronx for several years and in other low-income communities, he became very familiar with the problems that people expe...

Ely assists a resident of Susan's Place with her finances.      Living  in a homeless shelter is never anyone’s first choice. But if there is some good to come out of the experience, it could be the services offered that strengthen a resident’s knowledge and skills, preparing them for living independently once again. Financial setbacks and a lack of basic understanding about budgeting and saving, frequently play a role on the path into homelessness so it makes sense that achieving financial security is an important tool on the path out of homelessness. Here is the story of two residents of Susan’s Place are on that exciting path.  On February 8, Ely Nunez a financial counselor at Ariva, visited Susan’s Place and held one-on-one financial counseling sessions with the residents. She works with the women so that they may reach their ultimate goal of moving out of the shelter. Ely says that some of her clients have applied for housing but were rejected by mul...