This blog has absolutely no connection with management (H.S.I. or Kenmore Associates, LP); it is strictly by and for the tenants of the building, and is meant to help promote information and resources that are useful to tenants. DISCLAIMER! PLEASE NOTE: We are not lawyers. None of the information posted here is intended as legal advice. If you need legal advice, please consult a lawyer.
Total Pageviews
Saturday, April 12, 2014
More Electronic Resources
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Homelessness, Subsidies and Policy...
On June 23rd, 2004, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg outlined his five-year strategy to attack homelessness in
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
Shelter Census Hits New High as Housing Hits New Low
|
Over 111,000 People in NYC's Shelters in 2013
Even as we celebrate the opportunity to more effectively fight homelessness, we recognize just how enormous NYC's homelessness crisis has become. More than 111,000 New
Yorkers slept in city homeless shelters in
The Coalition for the
· City DHS shelters
averaged a record high daily census of 53,615 people
· That included a
horrendous 22,712 children, another record high
· In 2013, average
duration of stay in shelter for homeless families increased
to 14.5 months
The recent increase in city shelter population has been driven
primarily by homeless families. In 2002, DHS reported
an average of 7,111 families in city shelters. That increased in January,
2013, to 12,712 families - an increase of over 78% in 11 years.
Last month New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli also
released his Housing Affordability
in New York State report, documenting falling median wages in New
York and rising housing costs have pushed many New Yorkers over the housing
crisis edge. Three million
|
|||
|
|||
|
Learn more and support our Homelessness at careforthehomeless.org.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
From: HOUSING AND SERVICES, INC.... COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS... YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011 AND 2010
'The organization operates and develops permanent supportive and affordable housing."
"Property management services: H.S.I. provides property management and administrative services to the low income permanent supportive housing projects known as Cecil Hotel, Kenmore Hall and Narragansett Hotel. The projects are controlled by H.S.I. through a commonality of trustees and officers."
FORM 990, PART III, LINE 1:
"The organization works toward ending chronic homelessness, preventing homelessness for persons threatened with displacement and improving housing conditions for the marginalized through the operation and development of permanent supportive and affordable housing. The organization helps its clients achieve their fullest potential for housing self-sufficiency by realistically assessing their individual needs and building respectful and caring supportive communities to overcome barriers to their success."
KENMORE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FUND CORPORATION: "Operation of low income supportive housing project.":
The phrase supportive housing is used three times in the above quotes, but nowhere does it say that tenants are obligated to use the social services offered, or that the social services are mandatory. There is one key phrase referring to "building respectful and caring supportive communities..."; the key word here being respectful. There is nothing respectful in the attitude of the newer social workers, Jan Principato and Beverly Clarke. They are hostile, aggressive, and rude - and they make no effort to assess the individual needs of tenants at all. Rather, they appear to prefer the idea of forcing tenants to fit into pre-set categories of substance abuse, mental illness, or a history of incarceration. There are many other reasons for homelessness that should be acknowledged, and they are legitimate reasons that don't further stigmatize tenants or profile them in negative ways. It's interesting to note that Jen Principato is leaving in early April 2014; she's only been associated with H.S.I. and Kenmore Hall since the end of September/early October 2013. Rumor has it that she's moving on to work with incarcerated people. I feel sorry for prisoners that will have her up in their faces; we can walk away from her - they'll be stuck with her.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
In Sunset Park, Demise of Affordable Units Feared
Hundreds of apartments covered by Section 8—key anchors in a neighborhood where affordability is threatened by gentrification—are slated to leave the program
This message was sent using ShareThis (http://www.sharethis.com)
Sunday, March 16, 2014
tenant survey
- Are you satisfied with how the elevators operate?
- Are you satisfied with how the common areas (halls, stairs, and lobby) are maintained? Are they clean enough?
- When you fill out a work order for repairs or maintenance in your unit, are you satisfied with how the desk and maintenance staff respond? Does staff respond in a timely manner? Is the work done correctly?
- Are there noise and/or smell issues on your floor?
- Would you like your unit tested for mold?
- Has management responded appropriately to concerns about quality of life issues you've raised?
- How often have you contacted management about your concerns?
- How many times have you had to follow up on issues in order to resolve the situation?
Saturday, March 15, 2014
another potentially helpful resource
Email: info@tandn.org
issues. We come from diverse backgrounds, but we all share a deep commitment to working alongside tenants in the struggle to defend affordable housing and strengthen tenants' rights.
quality of life
THE NYCHA NOT WANTED LIST
The NYCHA Journal has an "editorial policy of publishing the names of individuals who have been permanently excluded from our public housing developments. This list is part of NYCHA's effort to keep residents informed of the Housing Authority's ongoing effort to improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers in public housing and to allow for the peaceful and safe use of our facilities. For a full list of the "Not Wanted" visit NYCHA's website at nyc.gov/residentscorner. Please note: These exclusions are based on NYCHA's Administrative Hearing Process and should not be confused with the recently implemented Trespass Notice Program under
REMEMBER, IF YOU
If the NYCHA can do this with undesirable tenants, why can't H.S.I. exclude tenants from buildings like Kenmore Hall, who have (for instance) been convicted of violent crimes against other tenants? Is it because management is lazy, or because they simply don't want the negative publicity?
banning drug dealers
If housing projects can ban drug dealers from the premises, why can't Kenmore Hall? Tenants here have been asking this question for years, and it hasn't been resolved yet. Does that mean that HSI and Kenmore Associates LP have a lower standard of living for their tenants than the city's housing projects? Apparently so.
NEW YORK CITY
HOUSING
AUTHORITY
TINO HERNANDEZ
CHAIRMAN
EARL ANDREWS, JR.
VICE CHAIRMAN
MARGARITA LÓPEZ
MEMBER
VILMA HUERTAS
SECRETARY
DOUGLAS APPLE
GENERAL MANAGER
NEW YORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY
250 BROADWAY
h NEW YORK, NY 10007TEL: (212) 306-3000
h http://nyc.gov/nychaDear NYCHA Resident:
In January 2005, we informed you about a new Trespass Notice Program to combat drug dealing and
drug related crime and make NYCHA developments safer. The Trespass Notice Program denies
access to development grounds to persons arrested for felony drug sales on NYCHA property. This is
to announce that starting February 1, 2007, NYCHA and the New York City Police Department
(NYPD) will expand the Trespass Notice Program to the borough of Manhattan. We believe the
Trespass Notice Program will protect the safety and security of all NYCHA residents, employees and
other persons who have legitimate purpose on NYCHA property.
Under the Trespass Notice Program, if the person arrested for selling drugs on NYCHA property is a
NYCHA resident, he or she will be allowed to return to his or her apartment and the common areas of
that development until an eviction proceeding is completed. The Trespass Notice Program provides
an opportunity to challenge the exclusion and includes an administrative mechanism for granting
limited access to NYCHA property if the excluded person can justify the need for such access and
does not pose a threat to residents.
Federal law provides for every public housing authority to maintain their housing developments in safe
condition. It also requires each resident of public housing to ensure that his or her guests do not engage
in any criminal activity that threatens the health, safety or right to peaceful enjoyment of other residents.
Through the combined efforts of NYCHA, NYPD and residents, crime has dropped in NYCHA
developments by 11.5 % since 2002. While there has been much success in reducing crime, more
must be done to ensure that NYCHA developments are a place where families can live and children
can be raised without the threat that accompanies drug activity.
We request your cooperation as the Trespass Notice Program is expanded in Manhattan and look
forward to your continued support in making NYCHA developments a safer place to live. Visit
NYCHA's website at
www.nyc.gov/nycha to view a copy of the Trespass Policy to learn more aboutMayor Michael R. Bloomberg's Operation Safe Housing initiative to fight crime in public housing.
Sincerely,
Douglas Apple
January 31, 2007
Friday, March 14, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Emailing: heat-and-hot-water-poster.gif
more resources for tenants
Asbestos Notifications: 718-595-3650
Enforcement: 718-595-3682
Phone: 718-596-3626
Fax: 718-595-3744
212-285-4601
FAX: 718-595-4544
51 CHAMBERS STREET 6TH FLOOR
NYC NY 10007
PH: 212-788-7418
FAX: 212-788-7754
212-788-9600
HAMPTON PLAZA
38-40 STATE STREET
ALBANY NY 12207
PH: 518-473-2526
FAX: 518-473-2517
25 BEAVER STREET
NYC NY 10007
212-480-6706
866-275-3427
1. What Does MICA Mean? Mentally Ill and Chemically Addicted (MICA) is a term which identi fi es when a person is living with a mental illness and a substance abuse issue. 2. What is the Purpose of the Enhanced Defense-MICA Project? There are too many people with mental illness and/or substance abuse problems in our jails and prisons. Those living with mental illness are more likely to be arrested, sentenced more severely and detained longer in jail than those with similar charges. In New York City, a study of individuals arrested in Brooklyn found that 18% had a serious mental illness. For those with mental illness, the trauma of being in jail and serving time may actually make their symptoms worse and reduce the defendant’s chance of achieving successful community integration upon release. Considering these staggering numbers, the MICA Project has demonstrated a measurable way to avoid wasting resources on jails and prisons, by investing in people. 3. The Enhanced-Defense MICA Project Overview: Since 2002, the Legal Aid Society’s Enhanced Defense-MICA Project has provided legal and community support services to some of the most vulnerable defendants in New York City’s criminal justice system. These individuals, struggling to live with symptoms related to serious mental illness and addiction problems, are often underserved and victimized while incarcerated in our jails and prisons. The MICA Project’s team model partners mental health attorneys with licensed clinical social workers to address the holistic needs of each client. In 2007, we added consumer peer advocate interns to our Queens County team to provide mentors to our clients. Our main focus is to get or keep our clients out of jail/prison by helping them get into treatment. Once a defendant is receiving community treatment, our unique defense-based bridge case management approach enables us to provide 18-24 months of community social services and monitoring. This bridge case management model is based on three core values: 1. Defendants in our Project are dynamic people, not cases. 2. We recognize that there is a strong connection between legal problems and social problems. 3. The highly stigmatized and marginalized MICA population is often poorly served by our current mental health system, putting them at high risk for “falling through the cracks.” 4. How Does a Person Get Help from the MICA Project? The MICA Project can assist those people represented by the Legal Aid Society in a criminal matter. We have offi ces in Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens County trial offi ces. For more information speak with your assigned lawyer or call the Project’s Director John F. Volpe at (212) 577- 3340. Did You Know? • You have a right to privacy for all your psychological, psychiatric and medical information. • You have a right to mental health, medical and medication services in NYC jails. • If you receive mental health counseling and/or medication in NYC jails, you have a right to work with a discharge planner who should MICA PROJECT KNOW YOUR RIGHTSarrange for your return to community treatment. For more information or guidance please contact: John F. Volpe, LCSW @ 212- 577-3340. (March 8, 2011) The Legal Aid Society 199 Water Street New York, NY 10038 Phone: 212-577-3300 Fax: 212-509-8432 www.legal-aid.org Printed by The Legal Aid Society KNOW YOUR RIGHTS MICA PROJECT
Skip to Main Content NY.gov Portal State Agency Listing Search all of NY.gov Office of Mental Health Ann Marie T. Sullivan, M.D., Acting CommissionerGovernor Andrew M. Cuomo Language Access | 中文 | PУCCКИЙ | Español | Kreyòl Ayisyen Home News Data & Reports Publications Resources Employment A-Z Site Map Message from the Acting Commissioner| About OMH| OMH Facilities| Initiatives| Contact OMH| FAQ printer icon Frequently Asked Questions What is SMI (Serious Mental Illness)? Adults with serious mental illness are persons aged 18 or older who currently have, or at any time during the past year have had a diagnosable mental, behavioral or emotional disorder of sufficient duration to meet diagnostic criteria specified within the DSM-IV-TR. In order to be considered SMI, the diagnosable disorder must result in functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. What is SPMI (Serious and Persistent Mental Illness)? A description of serious and persistent mental illness can be found here: Serious and Persistent Mental Illness. What is SED (Serious Emotional Disturbance)? Children with serious emotional disturbance are persons aged 17 or younger who currently have, or at any time during the past year have had a diagnosable mental, behavioral or emotional disorder of sufficient duration to meet diagnostic criteria specified within the DSM-IV-TR. In order to be considered SED, the diagnosable disorder must result in functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits the child's role or functioning in family, school or community activities. Comments or questions about the information on this page can be directed to the Bureau of Data Infrastructure. Home | About OMH | News | Data & Reports | Publications | Resources | Employment | A-Z Site Map Privacy Policy | Accessibility | Disclaimer | Contact OMH | Web Administrator Last Modified: 11/9/2012 Security statement: Users shall not interrupt or disrupt the operation of this site nor restrict or inhibit any user's ability to access the site. Unauthorized attempts to upload information to the site or change information on the site or to interrupt or disrupt operation of the site are strictly prohibited and may subject the perpetrator to both civil and criminal penalties under Federal and/or State law.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Terms referred to in social worker job posting... AWARDS HMIS database
Monday, March 10, 2014
Kenmore Hall is looking for a new social worker...
Social Worker, Kenmore Hall Job posted by: Housing and Services, Inc. Posted on: February 28, 2014 Job description Housing and Services, Inc. is seeking a Social Worker for Kenmore Hall. Our mission is to solve housing crises for all New Yorkers through permanent, cost-effective solutions. We provide hope and stability to frail individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS, mental illness, and addiction in safe and nurturing environments, empowering our residents to live as independently and crisis-free as possible in our four residential programs: The Cecil Hotel, Kenmore Hall, The Narragansett, and Scattered Site Housing. The Social Worker will provide comprehensive case management services to their caseload including: coordination of care, individual counseling, advocacy, engagement/outreach, medical compliance monitoring and referral, service plans, regular home and office visits, and quality documentation in AWARDS (HMIS database) of the same. The Social Worker will contribute to a program culture that is person-centered, holistic, and committed to continuous improvement. The Social Worker is expected to participate in socialization activities and monthly House Meetings. The Social Worker will comply with all DHS and DOHMH guidelines and contractual requirements. All HSI programs adhere to a housing first approach and harm reduction model. Qualifications: Bachelors degree required. Masters Degree in Social Work or social service related field with 2 years experience working with the formerly homeless. Preferred experience with the mentally ill, and chemically addicted; SPMI and MICA knowledgeable encouraged to apply. Must have excellent writing , computer and communication skills. Preferably knowledge of the AWARDS HMIS database. Knowledge of community resources, harm reduction and person-centered approach essential. A strong commitment to our mission and a dedication to those we serve paramount. *Bi-lingual (Spanish) preferred. How to apply Please submit resume and cover letter to Ada Tavares, HR Manager, at atavares@hsi-ny.org Location New York, NY, 10010, US Details Education requirements 4-year degree, Social Work Or Other Related Field Employment type Full time Professional level Professional Salary range (annual, U.S. $) 42,000 - 45,000 Salary details DOE Job function Direct social services, Education, Administration, Advocacy, Database management Owner's areas of focus Housing and homelessness
Saturday, March 1, 2014
- Blaming the tenants and calling them hoarders (although they're NOT hoarders, and what does that have to do with mold growing in the building's walls anyway?)
- Telling inspectors that the tenant won't let building management or maintenance workers into the room to make repairs
- Management tells maintenance to scrub the walls and do a paint job - this is not the right way to take care of mold at all
H.S.I. and Kenmore Associates may be in good company, though; they're like hundreds of other slumlords across the city who are more concerned about the money in their pockets than the quality of life for their tenants. Click on the titles of articles below for similar situations:
Links
Daily News article about slumlords who make city pay for repairs
O repaired, thousands to go