Dear Community Access Supporter,
From all of us at Community Access, we’re wishing you good things for this new year. We’re grateful to have you in our community.
For this first newsletter of 2020, we have some exciting updates to share.
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“Providing supportive housing is the right thing to do.”
So says Eli Weiss of Joy Construction who, along with Jorge Madruga of Maddd Equities LLC, is a key partner in developing our new building on River Avenue in the Bronx — 245 supportive and affordable housing units for New Yorkers in need. “As a developer,” he adds, “it would be a big mistake to overlook the need for this type of housing.”
Our building is one of a pair that Joy and Maddd Equities are developing in the neighborhood: a $300 million investment altogether, which will result in hundreds of construction jobs, 100,000 square-feet of newly developed commercial space, and 750 affordable apartments.
Community Access is building new homes at a rate we haven’t seen in years. But none of it would be possible without the support of friends like Eli and Jorge, whose commitment to building a stronger, more just New York aligns closely with our mission and values.
“This is what happens when the private, public, and nonprofit sectors work together for the best interests of the community,” says Weiss. “We hope to do more projects with Community Access in the future.”
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The transition from a long-term stay in an acute psychiatric unit back into the community can be an overwhelming experience. Too many New Yorkers leaving the hospital are left to navigate New York’s complex and fragmented health care system without support.
One way we’re changing that is through our Pathway Home program, which supports participants for up to nine months as they work to re-integrate into their communities. “A lot of what we do is intensive,” says Lauren Acri, Program Director. “We meet the participant in the hospital, and from there we help them get ready for what comes next.”
Our Pathway team consists of an RN, two service coordinators, two behavioral health specialists, and two peer specialists. The services they provide are tailored to the specific needs of each participant, as expressed by the participants themselves. The ultimate goal is for participants, at the end of the nine-month program, to have developed a professional and natural support system to aid their recovery and help them avoid repeated hospitalizations.
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After many months of planning and negotiating, Community Access reached an agreement with OneCity Health — the NYC Health + Hospitals-sponsored Performing Provider System (PPS) — that will make a significant contribution to the financial health of our Crisis Respite Center. Three of the Crisis Respite Center’s eight rooms will now be funded by OneCity Health for qualifying PPS patients from Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.
Since 2013, our Respite Center has served as a cost-effective alternative to emergency hospitalization for individuals experiencing a psychiatric crisis. Respite Center guests find a place where they can access peer support, develop coping strategies to assist with navigating mental health crises, rest, and restore themselves in a healing environment.
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Once again, Community Access has been in the news quite a bit lately. Here are some recent highlights:
City & State: The 2019 Nonprofit Power 100: Cal Hedigan
Bronx 12: Ribbon Cutting Held for New Affordable and Supportive Building in Mt. Eden
NY1: A Stable Place to Call Home in the Bronx
Fox 5: City Changing How Police Respond to People with Mental Health Issues
News 12: Changing Minds Young Filmmaker Kendra Brown discusses her documentary
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