Annual Convenings

Since 2011, the Consortium has held an annual Health & Housing Convening of its members and partners. The Convening brings together stakeholders across healthcare, housing, social service, and government sectors to share ideas about recent developments and best practices within the healthcare and housing realms. Discussion at the Convening helps determine the initiatives that will drive the Consortium’s work for the upcoming year. 

2020 Health & Housing Convening

We are so grateful to our speakers, panelists, and attendees for making the 1st Annual Convening for the Brooklyn Consortium and 10th for the Bronx, such a success. Over the two days, we had 275 attendees representing nearly 150 different organizations! 2020 has been a year of immense challenges, but we remain inspired and encouraged by the remarkable work of our colleagues. If you weren’t able to attend the full Convening, we encourage you to watch the recordings below. 

Day 1: December 2, 2020

Speakers & ppt slides

Speakers:

  • Amy L. Freeman, Director – Brooklyn Health & Housing Consortium
  • Bonnie Mohan, Executive Director – The Health & Housing Consortium, Inc.

PowerPoint Presentation

Speaker & ppt slides

Speaker: Peggy Bailey, VP of Housing Policy – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

PowerPoint Presentation

presenters & ppt slides

Based on the premise that those most affected by issues have the most insight into how best to find solutions that benefit the community as a whole, Participatory Action Research (PAR) lifts up the lived experiences and intelligence of community members. During this presentation, Brooklyn students who have conducted the PAR projects in Brooklyn neighborhoods where health disparities are most evident, share their findings around health and housing issues.

Presenters:

  • Lawrence Hasely, Participatory Planning Manager – Just Urban Economies, MIT CoLab
  • Jeffannie O’Garro, Brooklyn student researcher
  • Kei Yeung Chan, Brooklyn student researcher
  • Mila Mirskandova, Brooklyn student researcher
  • Crystal Gilbert, Brooklyn student researcher

PowerPoint Presentation

Day 2: December 3, 2020

panelists & ppt slides

In this panel, we share examples of successful partnerships between hospitals and homeless outreach, identify challenges, and explore opportunities for these partnerships to be replicated and institutionalized citywide.

Panelists:

  • Moderator: Patricia Hernandez, Associate Director – CSH
  • Juan Rivera, Program Director – BronxWorks
  • Casey Burke, Program Director – Breaking Ground
  • Shane Cox, Assistant Commissioner – NYC Department of Homeless Services
  • Yinan Lan, MD, Director – Bellevue Safety Net Clinic, NYC HHC

PowerPoint Presentation

panelists & ppt slides

In this panel, we hear from senior housing providers on how they are adapting to provide connection amidst the isolation, from a medical doctor who treats homeless and formerly homeless older adults, and from the NYC Department for the Aging on programs and services available to keep older adults safely at home. Panelists share insight on how anyone working with older adults can best support and care for this population. 

Panelists:

  • Moderator: Tanisha Hines, Program Officer – Enterprise Community Partners
  • Jocelyn Groden, Associate Commissioner – NYC Department for the Aging
  • Kristine Montañez, Supportive Services Director – RiseBoro Community Partnership
  • Amy Chalfy, Co-Chief Program Officer – Jewish Association Serving the Aging
  • Mira Batra, MD, Physician – Community Medicine, Family Health Centers at NYU Langone-Brooklyn

PowerPoint Presentation

panelists & ppt slides

In this panel, we hear from the Department of Homeless Services, two nonprofit providers operating these isolation hotels, and a resident of the program. We discuss the challenges and successes of establishing these programs, identify lessons learned, and look to the future to improve the way we provide homeless services with a renewed focus on permanent housing.

Panelists:

  • ModeratorTed Houghton, President – Gateway Housing
  • Molly Park, First Deputy Commissioner – NYC Department of Homeless Services
  • Simone Thompson, Director of Shelter Services – Care for the Homeless
  • EJ Bryant-Mazauskas, Resident – Susan’s Place
  • Kandra Clark, Vice President of Policy & Strategy – Exodus Transitional Community

PowerPoint Presentation

Speaker & ppt slides

Consortium board member, Pascale Leone, sums up the key takeaways from each session of the two-day event and leaves us with a powerful call to action: not to return to normal but rather seize this moment to fight for a better, more just future.

Speaker: Pascale Leone, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Corporation for Supportive Housing

PowerPoint Presentation