Bertha Alford, PSTP
PSTP held a pot luck lunch on Wednesday April 25th so program staff and other Project Renewal Staff at Varick could mingle.
It was a lunch filled with a lot of laughs, networking and plenty of good food. Everyone enjoyed the event. It was also an opportunity to say farewell to Garra Faber of S.T.E.P, and welcome our new employees.
Alarmingly, homeless New Yorkers have a 1.5- to 11.5-times greater risk of dying relative to the general population, depending on age, gender, shelter status, and incidence of disease.
But the causes are changing.
According to this 2012 study by the NYC Department of Homeless Services, the top cause of death for both the NYC homeless population and the general population is heart disease.[1]
Regular visits with a primary care provider are essential to identifying heart disease and helping homeless patients to manage this health condition before it escalates to crisis levels. Our comprehensive services to homeless New Yorkers include integrated healthcare—patients are connected to care through our shelter-based clinics, medical vans, and referrals in our transitional and permanent housing residences.
Prevention begins on the streets where our medical vans are providing critical interventions to assess patients’ heart disease risk: in the past year, we assessed 61% of clients for cardiovascular disease risk. The vans are also reducing patients’ risk by helping them to manage co-occurring conditions which could lead to heart disease, such as smoking and high blood pressure. In the past year, our vans provided tobacco cessation interventions to 77% of patients and helped 60% of hypertensive patients to control their blood pressure levels.
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[1] NYC DHS. Bronx Health and Housing Consortium: Opportunities for Collaboration. Shared Approaches to Death Prevention Among Homeless Individuals. Dec. 2012
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Project Renewal: Homeless Patients, High Quality Healthcare February 2013 Quality Improvement Grantee Spotlight
To successfully treat more than 8,600 homeless patients a year, you have to be dedicated and diligent. HRSA-supported health center Project Renewal finds that it also pays to hold yourself to the same quality standards as providers who practice in a less challenging environment.
Controlling hypertension is never easy, but when your patients tend to seek care irregularly, move frequently, have a high prevalence of both chronic and acute conditions and distrust the medical system, it seems almost impossible.
But that’s exactly what Project Renewal has done. In 2011, 51 percent of hypertensive patients had their blood pressure under control; a 2012 chart review shows the number has climbed to 60 percent, thanks to close monitoring of medication compliance with an assist from local pharmacy students working with the program.
Knowing that the many homeless patients will not come to Project Renewal, Project Renewal goes to the homeless patients.
Three mobile clinics (CARE – A – VANS), certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as Level 1 Patient Centered Medical Homes, regularly and at all hours go to homeless shelters, emergency housing and even New York City parks where homeless people are known to congregate.
They start small, first just walking around and becoming familiar to the homeless people. Over time, their presence in the community earns a level of trust and they begin to offer health services.
Because hypertension is so common and such a health threat, Project Renewal focuses on its prevention and treatment by providing health checks that include blood pressure and cholesterol testing at the first opportunity.
To help ensure patients follow treatment plans and remain in care, Project Renewal connects patients with other resources, verifies their eligibility for Medicaid and uses the electronic health record to schedule follow up appointments, order medications and exchange patient health information across providers.
Patients who later seek care at another Project Renewal mobile or freestanding clinic find providers who have instant access to their full health records and are fully prepared to respond in a patient-focused way that is consistent across providers.
Construction is well underway and on time and budget to be complete by winter 2013!
The building will be a 108 bed homeless shelter for men with mental illnesses, and construction is 50 percent completed and on schedule to open in Fall 2013.
Director of Facilities Ernie Talbot with Philip Jenkin, architect.
Local Bronx artist chosen to create entryway sculpture
Linda Cunningham, an artist who lives and works in the Bronx, was selected to build a decorative wrought-iron grille for the front façade of the building. It will screen the outdoor front entryway space from the street, and provide color and texture to the front façade. The grille is currently being fabricated by Linda and her team of student assistants, who are bending very long, 2” wide bars of steel into curved, organic shapes to look like blades of grass. These curved bars will then be welded to rectangular frames to create four panels. The panels will interlock when they are installed at the front of the building, and the resulting work of art will span around 23 feet.
The ironwork will blend in nicely with the brick and stone façade, and the grille will last many decades because of the durable wrought-iron construction. The grille will also define a welcoming border space by the front door for those going in and out of the shelter, defining the outer edge of a patio area with comfortable wood benches and a view to the street.
Artist rendering of wrought-iron grille design
A Dutch client shares his story with the group.
Even across the ocean, the issues facing homeless men and women with mental illness remain urgent and complicated.
A group of clients and staff from the Netherlands visited Clinton Residence and Safe Haven. This unique gathering allowed both groups to exchange knowledge, programmatic information, success stories, hospitality, recovery, treatment and friendship.
The room was filled with upbeat energy and lots of laughs as together they celebrated Clinton Resident client Benito’s 59th Birthday. The Dutch clients brought the gift of a special cheese knife from the Netherlands to share with Benito something unique and characteristic of their culture. With a large smile Benito claimed, “Living here gets better all the time.”
Bentoumi, a client accompanying the Netherlands group, is originally from Morocco and here he serenades the group with a song in Arabic. He said, “With big changes in your life you always need some people who help you further and give you the strength and motivation to survive during your recovery and reintegration process. With the help of others, you can change, move forward in your life.”
By: Jay White
This year our Christmas Luncheon featured a Dress for Success Fashion Show. The goal was to help the men know the importance of appearance for interviews and for self-esteem. They borrowed suits from our “Suit for Success” closet of donated clothing and visited our on-site “Barbershop Plus” for haircuts. As they walked the runway, the men were able to share a little of their plans and hopes and how a good appearance makes them feel.
NYC Department of Homeless Services
(866) 888-8777
(718) 557-1399
(212) 533-8400 x360
(212) 763-0596
(212) 533-8400 x361
(646) 581-4433
(212) 533-8400 x130
(631) 581-4171
In Homes Now is the first supportive housing project specifically designed for homeless people who are active users of drugs and/or alcohol. This year we break ground on 56 new apartments to expand this pioneering client-centered approach.
Called “Housing First,” our model program launched in 2003 at a time when there were no such housing options for homeless individuals with active substance use issues, who did not also have a serious mental illness or HIV/AIDS. Our housing first model works - 80% of our residents have successfully remained in housing for 3 years and 95% have a stable income.
This spring we will break ground on a new residence with 57 studio apartments on Villa Avenue in the Bronx, expanding the program to reach even more men and women who are shut out of traditional housing options.
We will also expand out scattered-site apartment program to include 10 family units for the first time. This effort will support families where the head of the household is graduating from recovery (substance abuse). This innovative adaption of the program will include partnerships with scores of agencies in the community that are currently helping children and parents stay healthy and strong.
To learn more about Housing First and our success with the model, you can click here to download a report from CASA, the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
Here is an excerpt:
Yet despite growing national attention and its federal endorsement, Housing First models continued to represent a small subset of New York City’s supportive housing. The Housing First models that did exist were limited to individuals with serious mental illness (e.g. Pathways to Housing) or persons living with HIV/AIDS (e.g. Housing Works or Bailey House), and the Housing First model remained out of reach for the sizeable number of homeless individuals with addiction issues who had neither a serious mental illness nor HIV/AIDS.
It was not until 2003 that New York City would obtain its first Housing First supportive housing program for homeless individuals with active substance use issues, who did not have a serious mental illness or HIV/AIDS. In that year, Project Renewal, a provider of comprehensive services for homeless individuals, received a grant through the federal Collaborative Initiative to End Chronic Homelessness demonstration program, and used it to create 60 units of scattered-site supportive housing for individuals identified as chronically homeless who had active addiction issues. This program, In Homes Now, was New York City’s first Housing First supportive housing project specifically targeted at homeless people who were active users of drugs and/or alcohol.
The program was later incorporated into and expanded through the NY/NY III’s supportive housing for Population E.
I spoke to trustee Jules Ranz to catch up about his work as the Director of the Public Psychiatry Fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center and how that works with his role as a Project Renewal Trustee (a position he has held since 1995). Turns out he was just endorsed by the American Psychiatric Association for contributions to field of psychiatry:
“I’ve spent my entire career in the public sector, the last 30 years as Director of the Public Psychiatry Fellowship at Columbia. My mentor at the time was Dr. Christian Beels, a trustee at Project Renewal. He encouraged me to join the Board. It’s the only board I’ve served on, and I have valued my board service for several reasons.
The Public Psychiatry Fellowship is the largest training fellowship in the country and until about 10 years ago, it was the only one. We train 10 Fellows a year to prepare for psychiatric service in the public sector. With more psychiatrists going to work in organizational settings than to a private practice, there is a growing need for this specialized training. The Fellows we accept have already completed 4 years of medical school followed by 4 years of residency. The Fellows spend a year with us in classwork and field work integrating theory and practice. The field work is a 3 day a week placement in a community organization like Project Renewal. The goal is to use the agency as a training site with the hope that the Fellow gets hired at the site at the end. This happens about 60-70% of the time.
Project Renewal takes a Fellow just about every year and most Fellows who stay in New York City stay on at Project Renewal as a staff member. So most of the psychiatrists at Project Renewal have been trained by us! And, all three Medical Directors for Psychiatry came through the Fellowship (Hunter McQuistion, Elizabeth Oudens, and now Allison Grolnick.) I take a lot of pride in helping Project Renewal create a cadre of effective psychiatrists dedicated to helping homeless men and women.
Project Renewal is a leader in New York City in providing the most comprehensive services for homeless New Yorkers. It excels in providing the entire package – recovery, medical, dental, psychiatry, employment, and housing. I feel deeply connected to Project Renewal’s mission and to its success. I bring a clinical background and expertise in public psychiatry to the Board. In return, Project Renewal’s Program Directors are frequent presenters at Board meetings so I get to hear first-hand about the effectiveness of its programs.”
Project Renewal Trustee Jules Ranz recognized for excellence in psychiatric training
The American Psychiatric Association awarded its 2013 Vestermark Award to Dr. Jules Ranz for outstanding contributions to the education and development of psychiatrists. The award is jointly supported by APA and the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Ranz was recognized for his excellence, leadership, and creativity in the field of psychiatric education. He is the Director of the Public Psychiatry Fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center and has been a Project Renewal Trustee since 1995.
Meet some of the staff of New Providence Women’s Shelter, working tirelessly to keep homeless women with mental health and substance use issues fed, warm, safe, healthy and housed on their journey to permanent homes.
Residential Aide Jamell Coach and Program Aide Supervisor John Brown
Roberto Muyet – Asst. Building Manager.
Rasheda Smith – MTC Senior Case Manager.
Deanna Emezue – MTC Case Manager
Andrea Saunders – Housing Specialist
Chenay Aziz – Entitlement Specialist.
Assistant Director Lorraine Garcia and Program Aide Supervisor John Brown
Patrick Pierre – Clinical Director.
Sam Govorcin - Recreation Specialist
“I remember there were times I would be on the train and I’d be so embarrassed because I was dirty. And I used to just look for a hole to crawl into.”
But when he reached bottom and decided to turn his life around, we were there for Harry because of gifts from people like you.“Project Renewal gave me a chance and stood next to me and they‘re still next to me.”
Harry is one of thousands of once-homeless people who found ways to rebuild their lives through Project Renewal’s assistance with permanent housing, employment, overnight shelter, addiction treatment, and much, much more.
Next year thousands of homeless men and women will reach the same point that Harry did, mustering the courage to believe they can have more for their lives.
With your help we can be there for them like we were for Harry.
When Harry was only 11 years old, his mother suddenly died. He and his brothers were alone.
They were forced to grow up too fast. They had too few positive influences. And sadly, his brothers couldn’t survive the streets … all three died young.
By the time Harry turned to Project Renewal, he had already spent eight-and-a-half years in prison. He was homeless and addicted to drugs.
But he did not give up. In fact, Harry made it.
Harry said, ”it’s not how you start out at the gate, it’s how you finish. Today I’ve been in my apartment three years, I’m in my 5th year with the job I’m at, I’ve never worked anywhere for 5 years. My job is important to me, I’m doing something, I’m being productive not just to society but to me. By me being good to me, it rubs off on society.”
Gratefully,
Mitchell Netburn
President & CEO
P.S. There’s still time to make a tax-deductible gift for 2012. Thank you for helping a neighbor in need.
Our Annual Report has a new look! This is a great introduction to all that we do, and recaps all the achievements that your gift made possible last year. You also get to meet Harry Dickerson, an amazing man who has achieved so much through our programs.
Skip ahead to page 10 to learn more about the great plans coming up for 2012, and contact us to learn how you can be involved.
Gift a gift this holiday season and help homeless New Yorkers like Harry get back on their feet.
“I had a basketball scholarship but I lost interest when the drugs took over. I started talking to myself but I didn’t get diagnosed with schizophrenia until I was in prison, but you never know you’re sick until you go and ask somebody why am I doing this?
This is what I learned from Project Renewal—to open up and seek out other peoples advice. I said to Mr. Blocker I really need some structure in my life, doing things my way really didn’t work, so I had to try things someone else’s way. I think he picked me because he saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself, and that made me stronger, he said he knew I could do it, I stuck by what he asked me to do.
When the success started coming, I liked the feeling, being that I never thought that I would be successful again, being that I let so many people down. I started graduating from programs, completing everything that I had started. They (PSTP) just kept guiding me and staying on me. They were always there for me, I almost went backwards because I lost my wife to cancer in 2011, and they stood by me.
I have six kids, two live with me. I even rescued my daughter out of the shelter system. I took parenting classes. Now I work at Fairway but I want to go to school to become a therapist.”
According to the Annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) Street Survey conducted by the Department of Homeless Services in January 2012, there were 3,262 unsheltered homeless individuals—a 23% increase from last year, and this is in addition to the 9,500 men and women in shelters on any given night.
So we will do more in 2013
DONATE NOW to help ensure these veterans get the help they need in 2013!
As a student just graduating from Hunter College, Belinda Bernard was planning on staying 6 months at Project Renewal, 20 years later she is still with us and is dedicated to helping clients who struggle with mental illness.
“There is so much about human beings that we misunderstand and take for granted.” Belinda said. Her best days at work are when a client experiences a new insight; an accomplishment that takes them to the next level of their treatment and increases their awareness and independence.
Directing the Safe Haven Shelter is a new role for Belinda, following many years on the staff at Clinton Residence.
Since those first days moving from a student at Hunter to Project Renewal, the client population—those struggling with mental health issues—remains her focus.
“People are dealing with loss constantly, and we work to help them see that it isn’t over, there is hope. The sense of self that you lose when you are homeless can be regained and you can even plan for future goals.” She is enlivened by the steps her clients take in this direction. “One client, at 50, has just signed up for school. Others go to work for the first time in 30 or 40 years…this is an overlooked group of necessary people.”
She says that Project Renewal hasn’t changed all that much in her time here, “Just expanded, our core population has always stayed the same—to be of service to people who are in need, who otherwise couldn’t access those services.”
In our new state-of the art environmentally friendly residence in the Bronx the formerly homeless are given their first studio apartments!
Read this to better understand why our mobile medical vans work round the clock helping NYC’s homeless who suffer from infectious disease.
Turns out, it doesn’t just help them, it helps everyone!
“Fazel said his findings suggested the best way to fight back against these and other infectious diseases was to focus on the homeless as one of the highest risk groups…
They found that in the United States, for example, TB rates were at least 46 times greater in the homeless than in the general population, and the prevalence of hepatitis C viral infection was more than four times higher…
“”Because … numbers of homeless people are high in some countries, improvements in care could have pronounced effects on public health,” he said.”
August 19, 2012|By Kate Kelland | Reuters
LONDON (Reuters) - Homeless people across the world have dramatically higher rates of infection with tuberculosis (TB), HIV and hepatitis C and could fuel community epidemics that cost governments dear, a study showed on Monday.
With an estimated 650,000 homeless people in the United States and around 380,000 in Britain, experts said high levels of infection would not only cause yet more poverty and distress for those without homes, but could also become a wider problem.
“Infections in homeless people can lead to community infections and are associated with malnutrition, long periods of homelessness and high use of medical services,” said Seena Fazel, a senior research fellow in clinical science at the University of Oxford who led the study.
Fazel and his team analyzed more than 40 research papers on levels of HIV, hepatitis C and TB among homeless people from 1984 to 2012.
They found that in the United States, for example, TB rates were at least 46 times greater in the homeless than in the general population, and the prevalence of hepatitis C viral infection was more than four times higher.
In Britain, TB rates were about 34 times higher in homeless people than in the general population, and the prevalence of hepatitis C viral infection was nearly 50 times higher.
For HIV, rates of infection were typically between 1 and 20 times higher in homeless people in the United States than the general population, but no studies were found for Britain.
Fazel said his findings suggested the best way to fight back against these and other infectious diseases was to focus on the homeless as one of the highest risk groups.
“Because … numbers of homeless people are high in some countries, improvements in care could have pronounced effects on public health,” he said.
Fazel, whose study was published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, said similar patterns were found in most other countries where data were available. Other countries covered in the study included France, India, Sweden, Ireland and Brazil.
According to United Nations estimates, about 100 million people worldwide are homeless. It is well known that rates of illness and premature death are particularly high in this group.
TB kills an estimated 1.4 million people annually, and about 9 million people are newly infected each year around the world.
Because it is a bacterial infection that spreads through the air in droplets when infected people cough and sneeze, it can develop into community outbreaks.
Anyone with active TB can easily infect another 10 to 15 people a year, and because successful treatment for TB requires months of antibiotics, patient care can be expensive.
In the United States, nearly 60,000 new cases of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS are reported nationally every year.
The researchers said this research focused on HIV, Hepatitis C and TB because their initial work suggested these were the most heavily studied infections among homeless populations.
But they noted the homeless also have high rates of other infectious diseases, including hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, foot problems and skin infections.
Volunteer Erika Scully creates the art display for the silent auction
Pamela Bell wasted no time once joining the Board of Trustees, serving on the Strategic Planning committee, chairing our 2012 Gala and most impressively, founding a volunteer arts initiative for the men at 3rd Street Shelter.
The Bowery Arts Program, less than a year old, is an informal creative class where volunteers and clients connect while making all forms of art. The classes – held on Wednesday and Thursday mornings—provide men struggling with addiction a creative outlet to express their emotions and foster new friendships.
At the 22nd Annual Gala Benefit and Auction 40 pieces of client art were auctioned off, raising more than $5,300 for Project Renewal. A very big thank you to Pamela and an amazing group of volunteers who attend the workshops each week including Shelley Sonenberg, Shelagh Herzog, Erika Scully, Laura Rothschild, Caryn Levit, Jemme Aldridge and Susan Minot.
Interested in Volunteering?
If you are interested in volunteering for the Bowery Arts Program, please contact via email (sidebar at left).
© Project Renewal
212.620.0340
200 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014
