I hope 2020 is off to a good start for you. We are certainly off and running here at HousingPlus.
We just ended a stellar 2019—which you may have read about in our annual appeal letter that was sent a few weeks ago. Through the dedication of our hardworking staff and with the support of our network, we kept 151 women and 96 children stably housed over the past year—providing them the supportive services they need to achieve housing, economic, and family stability. Our almost three-year-old effort to move women out of Rikers Island jail into supportive housing in the community has also realized incredible results for more than 200 women—with the majority successfully closing their court cases, finding employment, reconnecting with children, and moving into permanent and stable housing. Yes, 2019 was quite a year.
However, we are all too aware that homelessness in New York City has continued to increase. With recent news about some violent incidents inflicted on those who call the streets home, city shelters continue to be overwhelmed with those seeking safety and security. A recent article in the New York Times, which followed the lives of two homeless children, also highlighted the sobering realities for some of the youngest among us: the number of school-aged children living in temporary housing in New York City has increased by more than 70% over the past decade; 114,000 students in the NYC school system are homeless; in some schools, nearly 50% of the students are homeless and even more are unstably housed; and less than 60 percent of homeless children graduated from the city’s public high schools. This is troubling to us, as I'm sure it is to you. That’s why we have been working with new partners in the real estate and development industries to build our first-ever affordable housing complex. This spring, we intend to combat the lack of affordable housing by opening a new building that will add 100 units for low and moderate income families in East New York. HousingPlus will provide services to 30 of these units that will be specifically for formerly homeless families. We are proud of this achievement, which marks the beginning of an effort that will see the development of approximately 120 new housing units in the next few years for those experiencing homelessness in our community.
With that in mind, we’ve reflected on how we’ve been able to get to this point—and it's largely due to our network of like minded and compassionate supporters.
Which brings me to my question: what drives you to donate to HousingPlus?
In the coming months, we hope to use your response as a way to further reflect on our work, and share the most pertinent updates with you. If you have some time in the coming week, could you reply to this email with 1-2 sentences about why you give to us? Please let us know if we can use some of your feedback in future emails to our network, or if you prefer your comment be used anonymously.
Our team appreciates your response—and I am deeply grateful, as always, for your belief in our work.
