Homeless Assistance Fund

A public-private initiative to provide services and mental health resources to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.

Overview

In October 2022 the Partnership for New York City launched the Homeless Assistance Fund, a unique public-private initiative with the city and housing nonprofit Breaking Ground’s Connect to Care program.

Connect to Care supplements existing outreach programs with more intensive outreach and trust-building among New York City’s most vulnerable and entrenched homeless population and accelerates getting these individuals into treatment programs and housing. The program reaches those who have been unsheltered the longest, have the most disabling conditions, and are least likely to access housing resources.

Preliminary data shows Connect to Care can help someone experiencing homelessness access a transitional housing placement up to three times faster.

 

 

How It Works

The Homeless Assistance Fund has expanded Breaking Ground’s Connect to Care street outreach program with a focus on individuals experiencing street homelessness in Midtown, Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn. Experienced case workers:

  • Provide direct care outreach, build trust and rapport with unsheltered individuals over time to understand their needs and better connect them to services
  • Develop individualized service plans for each person that includes benefits assistance, connection to harm reduction, detox or substance abuse, connection to mental health and medical care, and housing services
  • Transition homeless and mentally ill individuals into supportive care and housing

Success Stories

One of the barriers to accessing services is a lack of basic documentation. After months of interacting with AP three times a week, AP allowed Breaking Ground to call their father, who gave the team AP’s birth certificate which enabled the team to place AP in transitional housing. The team is working now on the final steps— including obtaining a social security card, public assistance, and a psychiatric assessment—all necessary to apply for permanent housing.

SQ reported he was employed off the books and was sleeping on the streets until he was able to save enough to secure a suitable place to stay. The Breaking Ground team referred SQ to a safe haven bed in the Bronx; the team is now working with SQ on his housing application and to gather identification and other necessary documents for on-the-books employment.

Breaking Ground began building a relationship with JM in January 2023 and successfully placed him in a church bed in Harlem in February. The outreach team has continued to work with JM since his placement, securing his personal identification documents from a sibling, completing a psychosocial evaluation, and connecting him with a psychiatrist for an evaluation—all of which are necessary for JM’s housing application, which Breaking Ground is in the process of submitting.

DD reports that he has been homeless for eight years and is frustrated with the housing application process. DD also says that he feels the Breaking Ground team has demonstrated more care about his wellbeing than previous outreach teams. As a result, DD has agreed to work with Breaking Ground to access public benefits and identification materials and find housing.

This effort is supported by charitable contributions of over $8M from more than 60 Partnership member companies.

Participating Companies

In the fall of 2022, as member companies were returning to their offices following a lifting of Covid restrictions, they recognized the urgent need of assistance for unsheltered New Yorkers requiring an array of support services. Wanting to be a part of the solution, these companies funded a special pilot of Breaking Ground’s Connect to Care program in select neighborhood clusters in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Impact in the first year

36,354

interactions between outreach workers and homeless individuals

6,895

unique homeless individuals engaged

116

placements in drop-in centers, shelters, or housing

“Pfizer appreciates this opportunity to help address homelessness in New York City. As a company founded and headquartered here, we have a deep commitment to the city and the health and wellbeing of its people. Partnerships such as this demonstrate the power of collaboration.”

Albert Bourla, Co-Chair, Partnership for New York City, and Chairman and CEO of Pfizer

 

“Tishman Speyer is proud to stand with the City of New York, Partnership for New York City, and other business leaders to support this vital initiative. We know that the health, safety and wellbeing of our fellow New Yorkers are key to the city’s future. The Homeless Assistance Fund will ensure more residents get the care they need.”

Rob Speyer, Co-Chair, Partnership for New York City, and President and CEO of Tishman Speyer

Participating Companies

Advance Publication/Condé Nast

Ainslie Foundation

Alex M. Farman-Farmaian

Apollo Global Management

Bank of America

BlackRock

Blackstone

Bloomberg LP

BNY Mellon

Brookfield Properties

Capital One

Carlyle

Centerbridge Partners

Chubb

Crown Castle

Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Deanna Mulligan, CEO, Purposeful

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Deloitte

Empire State Realty Trust

Equitable

Ernst & Young LLP

Etsy, Inc.

Evercore Foundation

Fairstead

First Republic Bank

Fisher Brothers

FOX News Media & News Corporation

Glenwood

Global Atlantic Financial Group

Goldman Sachs Gives

Hearst

Interpublic Group

JPMorgan Chase

KPMG LLP

Latham & Watkins LLP

Macy's, Inc

Marsh McLennan

Mastercard

MetLife

Mizuho Americas

Morgan Stanley

Neuberger Berman

New York Life

Newmark & GFP Real Estate

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Pfizer Inc.

PwC

Rockefeller Group

Ropes & Gray

Sidley Austin LLP

Silver Lake

Silvercup Studios

Solomon Partners

SS&C Technologies

Take-Two Interactive

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America

The Related Companies, L.P.

The Rudin Family

The Travelers Companies, Inc.

Tishman Speyer

Trinity Church Wall Street

Vornado Realty Trust

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Warburg Pincus

Wells Fargo

Whether it is across our branches or corporate offices in Midtown East or Downtown Brooklyn, our partnership with Breaking Ground—the “green jackets” creating approximately 4,400 interactions and 63 placements into transitional housing—is an amazing accomplishment we are proud to support.

JPMorgan Chase, August 2023

Contact

For funding inquiries contact Jennifer Fine at jfine@pfnyc.org