Project Renewal

Great time earlier this month at the HSU Gala with amazing colleagues in the field and the added bonus of celebrating Staci Lawson from PRI who won the “housing hero” award!

Yesterday was an inspiring day for NYHealth. We began with a thoughtful conversation between our CEO, David Sandman, and Dr. Ashwin Vasan, Commissioner of NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, on key public health issues in NYC. Next, we hosted a panel on Health Care Delivery in NYC, moderated by David Sandman, with valuable insights from Dr. Mitch Katz (NYC Health Hospitals), Paloma Hernandez (URBAN HEALTH PLAN, INC.), and Brendan G. Carr, MD, MA, MS (Mount Sinai Health System). After a tour of Bellevue Hospital, led by CEO William Hicks, showcasing its legacy of compassionate care, we headed to God's Love We Deliver for a Food Access Conversation. Special thanks to Kate Janeski, Dorella W., and Kailin Husayko from God’s Love We Deliver, Michael Partis from Red Hook Initiative, and Tutu Badaru from GrowNYC for their leadership and insights. We followed with a panel on Whole-Person Care Across the Life Course, moderated by Avital Havusha, with insights from Zachariah Hennessey (Public Health Solutions), Madeleine Dorval-Moller (Northern Manhattan Perinatal Partnership), and Eric Rosenbaum (Project Renewal). We wrapped up the day at Housing Works, reflecting on our work and celebrating the accomplishments of our incredible grantees. 👏 Thank you to everyone who made it such a memorable day!

“[Project Renewal’s Culinary Arts Training Program] trains everyone, from those who are formerly or currently homeless, formerly incarcerated, individuals dealing with substance use issues, even individuals who don’t have those experiences. Anyone who wants to learn how to cook, we pretty much train them.” –Cylvenia Cherry, Assistant Director of the Culinary Arts Training Program (CATP) Cylvenia Cherry, Assistant Director of CATP, and Eva Rodriguez, Kitchen Manager at City Beet Kitchens, were featured on BronxNet Community Television speaking about how Project Renewal is helping people renew their lives through successful careers in food services. Watch the full interview: https://lnkd.in/ep6X9hYt

“Occupational therapy helps people strengthen skills for daily living, and for older adults in particular, these services ensure that they can age in place with dignity.” At Project Renewal we are going beyond expanding access to affordable and supportive housing, to provide New Yorkers with the support they need to live full lives as they age. Read Eric Rosenbaum’s full response to The New York Times article “Why More Older New Yorkers Are Ending Up in Homeless Shelters.” https://lnkd.in/e4ZqzvKQ

Congratulations to our latest cohort of Next Step Internship Program graduates! This group’s persistence, tenacity, and compassion will take them far in the field of human services. Graduates, we are inspired by the community you created, the support you gave each other, and your courage to define success on your own terms. Know that Project Renewal will continue to be there for you as you take your next steps!

With pride month coming to an end, we want to celebrate our beloved Barbara Hughes for receiving a second award, this time from Crain's New York Business, as a Notable LGBTQIA Leader. For decades, Barbara Hughes has broken down barriers to employment for New Yorkers with histories of housing instability, unemployment, or incarceration. She launched our Culinary Arts Training Program in 1995, which has prepared thousands of New Yorkers for culinary careers, and now leads our City Beet Kitchens social enterprise catering company. Congratulations Barbara!  https://lnkd.in/erse8s94

Our very own Derick Lewis, Manager at City Beet Kitchens, was featured on CBS discussing his journey to Project Renewal and why he loves his career. “Everyday I wake up, come to work, everyone looks at me with respect. I’m proud of what I do. I’m proud of what I became.” https://lnkd.in/eqKmgYpR

Please help us celebrate our latest cohort of Culinary Arts Training Program graduates! These chefs are poised to go far in the field and we couldn’t be more proud of their hard work and dedication.

A huge congratulations to Barbara Hughes, Executive Director of City Beet Kitchens at Project Renewal, for being named in City & State’s Above & Beyond list, recognizing LGBTQ leaders in the fight for a more equitable New York. Your work as an activist, a chef, a teacher, and an advocate has made a difference for so many! https://lnkd.in/eUeq3r8Y

Human services nonprofit organizations keep New York City running, providing critical safety net services that make a huge difference in the wellbeing of residents who need them. In a recent report, the Center for an Urban Future discussed how staffing challenges faced by human services providers impair their ability to offer New Yorkers this crucial support. Our President and CEO, Eric Rosenbaum, shared his thoughts on the report with Gothamist. “When working with clients who’ve experienced trauma, if they’re experiencing constant turnover in our case managers, or if they're seeing a new face every day in the dormitory or in the halls, it's hard for our workforce to build and maintain those relationships of trust, which are necessary to implement some of the changes that would be most helpful in addressing the root causes of an individual's challenges.” https://lnkd.in/eh5mG5BF