Jan Hus Presbyterian Church and Neighborhood House

Poverty and homelessness are on the rise in New York City The purpose of the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program, a program started in the 1990’s to tackle the tragedy of homelessness, is to provide a wide range of direct services to homeless individuals and marginally domiciled people and, stemming from that personal experience with our most vulnerable neighbors, to advocate for affordable housing. Ever since its inception, HOAP has served more than 53,500 hot meals and offered more than 50,000 counseling and referral sessions. The program incorporates homeless and marginally-domiciled people in its endeavors to end homelessness and empowers members of the homeless community to express themselves and advocate for their own needs and a voice in social discourse.

Since 2001 clients of the program have been more active in shaping Jan Hus Church’s Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program. Clients sit on the program committee and have a voice in program development and in implementation. Recently, we circulated a needs-assessment survey to encourage our service recipients to offer insights into improving the program. Clients also volunteer on a regular basis at our Tuesday night dinner program.

The Empowerment portion of the HOAP takes into account the complexity of the root causes of poverty and the various factors involved -such as education, health, housing, social relations, racism, sexism, homophobia and personal considerations. Being poor and homeless has a huge impact on one’s self-esteem and emotional satisfaction and loneliness and depression are both causes and effects of homelessness. Our Empowerment Program does not focus solely on impersonal issues of poverty but rather fosters a comprehensive and holistic approach by looking at the need for homeless people to have their dignity restored and for being valued as human beings. Generally speaking, homelessness focuses on the lack of housing. However, in order to respond effectively to homelessness only focusing on what is missing is not sufficient. The HOAP strives to acknowledge the talent and humanity of people who are numbers in many settings. Whereas through our public policy advocacy we focus on the need to change the system, through our empowerment program we strive to attend to the more personal, more complex needs of the individuals who come to us in need.

Client Newsletter: In the fall of 2004, the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program began publication of a newsletter written and edited in part by homeless and formerly homeless individuals. The newsletter offers a creative outlet to the HOAP’s clients, and increases awareness of the reality of homelessness. It is a tool for self-empowerment, for homeless and formerly homeless people to speak on their own behalf, to break through myths and stereotypes, and to educate people about false images of homelessness. The newsletter is circulated among over 400 regular program participants and mailing lists. Download the HOAP Newsletter.
Circle of Arts: The Circle of Arts began in June 2005 as an empowerment opportunity for homeless artists. In 2006 we expanded the program to include supportive artists to furnish a venue for artists from different walks of life to work together and display their artwork in the same exhibit. The group of people that worked on and contributed to our show was as diverse as the city of New York itself. Client artist were influential in the concepts and provided some of the labor that brought the show together. It was very exciting to see our clients being interviewed by various media outlets that covered the show. This year the show ran for 2 weeks. It was also the first year that Circle of Arts raised money for the program. Money from donations made at the door and the proceeds from the sale of artwork donated by supportive artists will help us to continue to develop the event. Read more about the Third Annal Circle of Arts.

In 1999 the HOAP expanded its mission to include advocating for greater housing justice, the development of affordable housing, and the provision of fair housing opportunities. Jan Hus Church spearheaded the foundation of the East Side Congregations for Housing Justice (ESCHJ), a coalition of East Side congregations working together to promote affordable housing and to build support for just and forward-thinking housing policies. The Program has also joined Housing First! -- a broad coalition of churches, businesses, unions and advocacy groups that work on educating on and advocating for the need of affordable housing in New York, and is an active member of the Presbyterian Network to End Homelessness at the national level. Jan Hus Church Homeless Program is also affiliated to the grass-roots organization working to ensure that affordable housing is available for moderate and low-income people and that its provision is adequate and healthy. The Program also works together with Picture the Homeless, a grass-roots organization founded by homeless people to promote the protection of human rights of homeless people.

Every year the Program helps to organize the annual Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing’s overnight vigil in City Hall Paek. People from Jan Hus Church joins others in sleeping in City Hall Park in solidarity with homeless persons and to draw the attention of elected officials to the issue. This vigil and related activities that are undertaken each year have served to promote active participation of homeless and other low-income people in the political process on their own behalf. One of the goals of our Advocacy program is to mobilize the congregation and the community at large to become involved with the campaign to end homelessness and poverty by letter and petition signing and by calling elected officials to inform them of our position on affordable housing.

HOAP advocates for housing justice, the development of affordable housing, and the provision of fair housing opportunities in New York City. One of the goals of the Advocacy Program is to mobilize the congregation and the community at large to get involved with issues pertaining to homelessness and poverty. The Program focused its work on advocacy and petitions on the following issues:

Fix it Now Campaign. The HOAP is affiliated to Housing Here and Now, a grass-roots organization working to ensure affordable and safe housing to a very-low income population. We were instrumental in helping them achieve an agreement, which was concluded with Citibank and New York Community Bank to exercise greater oversight on the granting of mortgages and the maintenance of buildings to which mortgages have been granted.

Endorse and support the NYS Housing Platform of Housing First! urging the next Governor to commit to
1. $13 billion over the next 10 years to create and preserve at least 220,000 units of affordable housing across the state\
2. $9 billion in capital and expense funding plus $4 billion raised through the dedication of $75% of the New York State Housing Finacne Agency’s bond issuances to affordable housing.
3. A New York State Housing Investment Fund, whose revenue would come from a re-ordering of the way surplus revenues of the State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA( ars used

In 2002 the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program started an annual theater event to be held at the Jan Hus Playhouse to make Jan Hus Presbyterian Church Homeless Outreach and Advocacy program known to the community, to encourage involvement in the program, to build community, to connect artists and social justice minded people and to raise funds for the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program. The HOAP theater event is a great opportunity to reach out to the community and to urge theater artists to become involved in a non-profit theater production whose aims is to benefit the homeless community in the Yorkville area of Upper Manhattan. This theater event is an awaited community occasion on the Upper East Side, a meaningful and high quality theater event at Jan Hus Playhouse, a traditional off-off Broadway theater where groups like Chicago City Limits were in-resident theater companies. The HOAP theater event is a grass-root artistic event geared to the following: promoting awareness about homelessness and other social justice issues, bringing together artists, community members and parishioners, homeless and formerly homeless people and raising funds for the HOAP. It is also an opportunity for us to reach out to local businesses, agencies and other congregations and for them to share our work and be involved in the community they serve.

We can always use extra hands at our weekly dinners - setting up, serving, and cleaning up. Our dinners are on Tuesday at 5:30. We start setting up at about 4:30, and
finish cleaning around 8:00. If you can't come until 6 or 6:30, that's fine - we are always in need of people to stay for cleanup - in fact, that's one of our greatest needs. If you're
interested in coming down to help, please call the outreach office, and speak to Inba or Luciano at 212-288-6743. You can also email Luciano at lucianohoap@janhus.org or
Inba at inba@janhus.org. Just remember to specify what time you'll be coming and how long you can stay with us that evening.
Donate! Giving out clothes - especially t-shirts and jeans, underwear and socks - is a big part of our ministry. Bring over old clothes, or, if you want to give something new,
buy a bag of underwear or some soaps or shampoo. These small things help us out, and help out our clients, in significant ways.
Financial contributions can be made out to Jan Hus Presbyterian Church (and, if you're donating specifically to the Homeless Outreach program, make sure to specify that in the memo).

Monday through Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 1:p.m.: 2: p.m. to 3:p.m.
Tuesday Dinner Program (September through June): 5:30 p.m.



	Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program Poverty and homelessness are on the rise in New York City The purpose of the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program, a program started in the 1990’s to tackle the tragedy of homelessness, is to provide a wide range of direct services to homeless individuals and marginally domiciled people and, stemming from that personal experience with our most vulnerable neighbors, to advocate for affordable housing. Ever since its inception, HOAP has served more than 53,500 hot meals and offered more than 50,000 counseling and referral sessions. The program incorporates homeless and marginally-domiciled people in its endeavors to end homelessness and empowers members of the homeless community to express themselves and advocate for their own needs and a voice in social discourse. Outreach Our direct services include: Assessment, Referrals and Supportive Counseling and assistance with resource research: Our staff meets with a daily average of twelve clients to work with them to fulfill immediate needs and set goals to improve their lives. Some seek relief from drug or alcohol abuse. Others seek to achieve job readiness, and many seek more permanent shelter. Receiving and sharing the stories of the struggles of the Program’s clients is an important part of Jan Hus Church’s hospitality. Dinner Program every Tuesdays from 5.30-7pm: The dinner is part of a concerted effort of five churches in the Upper East Side that are connected to the Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, one of the agencies with which we work frequently and to which we refer many among our clients. A neighboring Church, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox, lends financial assistance to the dinner program as well as their kitchen to prepare the meal. We pay special attention to the nutritional value of the food that we provide, our goal is to provide people with healthy balanced meals. Food Pantry: In 2003 The Homeless Outreach Program opened a small food pantry to provide emergency food to domiciled people in the neighborhood and from across New York City who have a hard time to make ends meet. Over the past four years, we have witnessed the needs for emergency food in economically unstable housed increase, while benefits and actual incomes have decreased and rents have skyrocketed. Many in our community are on fixed incomes and find themselves out-priced and forced out of their homes. Often our neighbors are forced to choose between medicine, paying the rent or utilities bill or food. Mail and Voice Mail and E-mail Service: The program offers free use of the telephone, fax machine, and copy machine. Currently 325 people receive their mail at the Neighborhood House, and 70 people receive voice-mail boxes through our program. Our staff assists clients in setting up free yahoo e-mail addresses. Such services provide the clients a sense of personal security, facilitate their job search and allow them to keep in touch with the world. We also provide these services to marginally domiciled people whose income is not enough for them to afford these expenses. Job Readiness: Our staff facilitates job placement contacts and helps clients to prepare résumés. We provide fax, photocopy, computer, envelopes, stamps and internet access. These services enable the Program’s clients to inquire about and receive information regarding jobs, housing, and other outside services. We also offer a weekly computer class for clients. Clothing donations from our neighbors and congregants are dispensed weekly to our clients in need. At times we are able to provide suits and ties for job interviews. In the winter months we distribute winter coats furnished by New York Cares. Emergency Assistance: We are currently providing carfare and metro cards to a limited number of clients we refer to other agencies for assistance, for job interviews or to get to meals. We also provide sleeping bags and hygiene kits when available. Writing Workshop: In the spring of 2006, the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program began a partnership with The New York Writers Coalition to have writing workshops for our clients. These workshops give clients the opportunity to tell their story. The workshops give clients access to a self-reflective space and is supportive to express themselves. Anti-Eviction Assistance: Over the years, the Homeless Outreach Program has worked with a smaller subset of clients who are housed, modestly employed, yet because of a sudden crisis are at risk of loosing their housing. There are others seeking to improve their lives, but need some extra financial support for a brief period of time in order to achieve their goals. We have sought to help by offering financial assistance for items such as college textbooks, or for rent arrears. The possibility of providing such assistance has increased the effectiveness of our program, which offers comprehensive help to homeless and marginally domiciled people. Voter registration: Jan Hus has facilitated non-partisan voter registrations. When clients register for mail with us they are offered the opportunity to register to vote at their new address. We feel it is important to facilitate peoples participate in the democratic system and to remind a population that is too often disenfranchised that they do have a voice. Storage: The HOAP offers 36 clients access to a personal storage bin in our basement. This service allows people to secure personal property. This allows people greater ability to generate work wardrobes and to keep off-season clothing. It also allows people the ability to be in public places unfettered by all of their worldly belongings. Empowerment Since 2001 clients of the program have been more active in shaping Jan Hus Church’s Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program. Clients sit on the program committee and have a voice in program development and in implementation. Recently, we circulated a needs-assessment survey to encourage our service recipients to offer insights into improving the program. Clients also volunteer on a regular basis at our Tuesday night dinner program. The Empowerment portion of the HOAP takes into account the complexity of the root causes of poverty and the various factors involved -such as education, health, housing, social relations, racism, sexism, homophobia and personal considerations. Being poor and homeless has a huge impact on one’s self-esteem and emotional satisfaction and loneliness and depression are both causes and effects of homelessness. Our Empowerment Program does not focus solely on impersonal issues of poverty but rather fosters a comprehensive and holistic approach by looking at the need for homeless people to have their dignity restored and for being valued as human beings. Generally speaking, homelessness focuses on the lack of housing. However, in order to respond effectively to homelessness only focusing on what is missing is not sufficient. The HOAP strives to acknowledge the talent and humanity of people who are numbers in many settings. Whereas through our public policy advocacy we focus on the need to change the system, through our empowerment program we strive to attend to the more personal, more complex needs of the individuals who come to us in need. Client Newsletter: In the fall of 2004, the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program began publication of a newsletter written and edited in part by homeless and formerly homeless individuals. The newsletter offers a creative outlet to the HOAP’s clients, and increases awareness of the reality of homelessness. It is a tool for self-empowerment, for homeless and formerly homeless people to speak on their own behalf, to break through myths and stereotypes, and to educate people about false images of homelessness. The newsletter is circulated among over 400 regular program participants and mailing lists. Download the HOAP Newsletter. Circle of Arts: The Circle of Arts began in June 2005 as an empowerment opportunity for homeless artists. In 2006 we expanded the program to include supportive artists to furnish a venue for artists from different walks of life to work together and display their artwork in the same exhibit. The group of people that worked on and contributed to our show was as diverse as the city of New York itself. Client artist were influential in the concepts and provided some of the labor that brought the show together. It was very exciting to see our clients being interviewed by various media outlets that covered the show. This year the show ran for 2 weeks. It was also the first year that Circle of Arts raised money for the program. Money from donations made at the door and the proceeds from the sale of artwork donated by supportive artists will help us to continue to develop the event. Read more about the Third Annal Circle of Arts. Advocacy In 1999 the HOAP expanded its mission to include advocating for greater housing justice, the development of affordable housing, and the provision of fair housing opportunities. Jan Hus Church spearheaded the foundation of the East Side Congregations for Housing Justice (ESCHJ), a coalition of East Side congregations working together to promote affordable housing and to build support for just and forward-thinking housing policies. The Program has also joined Housing First! -- a broad coalition of churches, businesses, unions and advocacy groups that work on educating on and advocating for the need of affordable housing in New York, and is an active member of the Presbyterian Network to End Homelessness at the national level. Jan Hus Church Homeless Program is also affiliated to the grass-roots organization working to ensure that affordable housing is available for moderate and low-income people and that its provision is adequate and healthy. The Program also works together with Picture the Homeless, a grass-roots organization founded by homeless people to promote the protection of human rights of homeless people. Every year the Program helps to organize the annual Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing’s overnight vigil in City Hall Paek. People from Jan Hus Church joins others in sleeping in City Hall Park in solidarity with homeless persons and to draw the attention of elected officials to the issue. This vigil and related activities that are undertaken each year have served to promote active participation of homeless and other low-income people in the political process on their own behalf. One of the goals of our Advocacy program is to mobilize the congregation and the community at large to become involved with the campaign to end homelessness and poverty by letter and petition signing and by calling elected officials to inform them of our position on affordable housing. HOAP advocates for housing justice, the development of affordable housing, and the provision of fair housing opportunities in New York City. One of the goals of the Advocacy Program is to mobilize the congregation and the community at large to get involved with issues pertaining to homelessness and poverty. The Program focused its work on advocacy and petitions on the following issues: Fix it Now Campaign. The HOAP is affiliated to Housing Here and Now, a grass-roots organization working to ensure affordable and safe housing to a very-low income population. We were instrumental in helping them achieve an agreement, which was concluded with Citibank and New York Community Bank to exercise greater oversight on the granting of mortgages and the maintenance of buildings to which mortgages have been granted. The “New Market Housing Plan” of the Bloomberg Administration. Thanks to pressure from housing advocates Mayor Bloomberg agreed to an expanded housing plan that calls for the building of 165,000 unites by 21013. By 2005, 28,000+ units have been created. New York/New York Agreement. New York State and New York City reached agreement to provide 9,000 units of supportive housing for homeless and at-risk individuals and families. Supportive housing is the most cost-effective way to provide housing to individuals with special needs rather that it is to provide shelter, or cycle those persons through our criminal justice system or public hospitals. Allocation of Battery Park City Money ($130 Million) to the NYC Housing Trust Fund. Housing advocates put pressure on the State, City and Battery City Authority to fulfill the promise of BPC revenues to be used for the creation of affordable housing after failing to keep that promise initially made to compensate for a lack of its original vision of a mixed-income development. This summer, the BPC approved a new $130 million Housing Trust Fund that will be used to build or preserve 4,300 affordable housing units. The priorities of our advocacy work in the upcoming months will be as follows: Endorse and support the NYS Housing Platform of Housing First! urging the next Governor to commit to 1. $13 billion over the next 10 years to create and preserve at least 220,000 units of affordable housing across the state\ 2. $9 billion in capital and expense funding plus $4 billion raised through the dedication of $75% of the New York State Housing Finacne Agency’s bond issuances to affordable housing. 3. A New York State Housing Investment Fund, whose revenue would come from a re-ordering of the way surplus revenues of the State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA( ars used Con-Edison Waterside Site A private developer has purchased this site with the intention of creating a big density residential development along with tall commercial towers. No provision is made for affordable housing and no provisions are made for public amenities, particularly access to the waterfront. The community is saying that in return for the private benefit enjoyed by the landlord through a public action, the landlord needs to give back to the community. A counter-proposal from CB 6 calls for a lowering the height of buildings, on-site affordable housing, creating access to the water front, and eliminating the planned office towers as inappropriate for a residential area. Allocation of Housing Units by Income in the Mayor’s Plan Housing Advocate must put pressure on elected officials to ensure that housing plans address the crisis of affordability in this city and that the poor have access to safe and affordable housing. 421-a Tax Exemption Since NYC’s fiscal crisis of the 1970, in order to stimulate developments in outer boroughs, outside the Manhattan Exclusion Zone between 14th Street and 96th Street, developers of residential buildings are eligible to receive a tax abatement. Some of these developers have received tax abatements for buildings that are predominantly luxury housing. Housing advocates say that the 421-a program needs to be reformed so that there is a link between the tax benefit and the creation of affordable housing. Code Enforcement Issues. We want to build on the momentum on addressing the problems of buildings with multiple code violations and to have other banks sign on the agreement concluded with City Bank and NY Community Bank Construction of decent and affordable housing for people living with HIV/AIDS and preserving benefits for formerly homeless people with HIV and AIDS living in affordable housing. Passing of Home Rule Act intended to repeal the NYS Urstadt Law that prevents reversing the phase-out of rent regulation in New York City. Jan Hus Presbyterian Church is affiliated with East Side Congregations for Housing Justice Presbyterian Network to End Homelessness East Side Homeless Network Housing First! Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing Housing Here and Now Picture the Homeless Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Theater Event In 2002 the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program started an annual theater event to be held at the Jan Hus Playhouse to make Jan Hus Presbyterian Church Homeless Outreach and Advocacy program known to the community, to encourage involvement in the program, to build community, to connect artists and social justice minded people and to raise funds for the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program. The HOAP theater event is a great opportunity to reach out to the community and to urge theater artists to become involved in a non-profit theater production whose aims is to benefit the homeless community in the Yorkville area of Upper Manhattan. This theater event is an awaited community occasion on the Upper East Side, a meaningful and high quality theater event at Jan Hus Playhouse, a traditional off-off Broadway theater where groups like Chicago City Limits were in-resident theater companies. The HOAP theater event is a grass-root artistic event geared to the following: promoting awareness about homelessness and other social justice issues, bringing together artists, community members and parishioners, homeless and formerly homeless people and raising funds for the HOAP. It is also an opportunity for us to reach out to local businesses, agencies and other congregations and for them to share our work and be involved in the community they serve. How You Can Help We can always use extra hands at our weekly dinners - setting up, serving, and cleaning up. Our dinners are on Tuesday at 5:30. We start setting up at about 4:30, and finish cleaning around 8:00. If you can't come until 6 or 6:30, that's fine - we are always in need of people to stay for cleanup - in fact, that's one of our greatest needs. If you're interested in coming down to help, please call the outreach office, and speak to Inba or Luciano at 212-288-6743. You can also email Luciano at lucianohoap@janhus.org or Inba at inba@janhus.org. Just remember to specify what time you'll be coming and how long you can stay with us that evening. Donate! Giving out clothes - especially t-shirts and jeans, underwear and socks - is a big part of our ministry. Bring over old clothes, or, if you want to give something new, buy a bag of underwear or some soaps or shampoo. These small things help us out, and help out our clients, in significant ways. Financial contributions can be made out to Jan Hus Presbyterian Church (and, if you're donating specifically to the Homeless Outreach program, make sure to specify that in the memo). Outreach Hours: Monday through Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 1:p.m.: 2: p.m. to 3:p.m. Tuesday Dinner Program (September through June): 5:30 p.m.
Jan Hus Presbyterian Church & Neighborhood House 351 East 74th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues) New York, New York 10021