Homeless Assistance Fund

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

Overview

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the Partnership for New York City recently launched the Homeless Assistance Fund—a collective public-private initiative to provide services and mental health resources to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. The Homeless Assistance Fund partners with Breaking Ground, a homeless outreach and housing nonprofit, to accelerate getting unsheltered New Yorkers and individuals living with mental illness into the treatment programs and housing they need.

In a demonstration of the business community’s commitment to helping city government address the challenges of homelessness and mental illness, over 60 companies contributed more than $8 million to the launch of the Fund.

How It Works

The Homeless Assistance Fund will:

  1. Add additional outreach worker teams to serve areas not covered by city contracts (ATM vestibules, retail spaces, plazas)
  2. Target areas around major transit hubs and dense office districts
  3. Offer training for employees to better understand populations facing homelessness and mental illness and equip them with practical ways to help

About Connect to Care

The Homeless Assistance Fund is an expansion of Breaking Ground’s Connect to Care initiative piloted over the past two years with several private sector partners, including Macy’s, Vornado, Starbucks, and the MetLife Foundation. Preliminary data shows Connect to Care can help someone experiencing homelessness access a transitional housing placement up to three times faster due to more frequent engagement and access to locations that had not previously been canvassed. Connect to Care is a value-add program that layers over existing outreach with opportunities for more intensive trust building.

Contact

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

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

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 of the Partnership for New York City, and President and CEO of Tishman Speyer

Supporting our communities and those in need is a cornerstone of our culture. This unique partnership provides assistance, care, safety and compassion and we are proud to be a part of it.

Steve Swartz, Co-Chair of the Partnership for New York City, and President and CEO of Hearst

“New Yorkers experiencing homelessness should be treated with dignity and respect. Bank of America’s support of the Homeless Assistance Fund allows us to address this critical issue in a compassionate and caring way, providing pathways out of homelessness for those on the street while giving a boost to the city’s economy.”

José Tavarez, Bank of America New York President

 

“We are proud to help scale this important initiative and drive progress toward addressing the city’s homeless and mental health challenges. This partnership will equip BlackRock employees based in our New York office with the tools to take action and make our community stronger and safer for all.”

Larry Knafo, Global Head of Enterprise Services and Chief Security Officer of BlackRock

 

“As a company based here in New York City for 238 years, BNY Mellon is committed to the city’s continued revitalization. We’re proud to work with the local community on an important cause: providing treatment and shelter to New Yorkers in need.”

Robin Vince, CEO-Elect of BNY Mellon

 

“The Homeless Assistance Fund demonstrates the positive impact public-private partnerships can have in addressing societal challenges, including homelessness and mental illness. The health and vitality of our city rely on solutions that work for everyone and we are pleased to be a part of this important initiative that helps some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers get the assistance they need.”

Evan G. Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of Chubb

 

“As the city of New York continues to recover from the impact of the pandemic, it is critically important that we increase support for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. We are committed to working with the Partnership for New York City, Breaking Ground and other private sector organizations to provide resources for those in crisis. While the causes of homelessness are complex, public private partnerships like this are an important way the city’s most vulnerable residents can be offered the help they otherwise would not be able to access.”

Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co

 

“The increasing rates of people experiencing homelessness and mental illness are critical issues, and as business leaders within the most vibrant city in the world, we have the resources and responsibility to come together to be part of the solution. Breaking Ground is a highly respected organization with a broad range of services that will provide crucial assistance to those in the most need to help mitigate this ongoing crisis.”

Barry Gosin, CEO of Newmark

 

“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. Breaking Ground’s efforts will provide critical tools for assisting this vulnerable population and allow our colleagues to be a part of the solution.”

Albert Bourla, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer

 

“The dual health and economic crises caused by the pandemic have created a myriad of challenges for individuals and families, especially those, who through no fault of their own, have found themselves without a safe place to live. The City’s recovery is dependent on public-private partnerships, and we are proud to join the Partnership for New York City, Breaking Ground and others in expanding support for individuals experiencing homeless and mental health challenges. Thank you to Mayor Adams and his administration for spearheading this effort.”

Charlie Scharf, CEO of Wells Fargo

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