December 2014

www.providencehouse.org

The young mothers at Providence House are discovering a simple, effective, and joyful way to foster their children’s development. Made possible by the Pinkerton Foundation, a program we are piloting at locations in Jamaica, Queens, and Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, demonstrates positive reinforcement, appropriate play techniques, and early childhood literacy development methods. A service model that has been in use since the 1960s, the Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) provides a home visitor who meets regularly with each mother and child. During half-hour visits, the home visitor models reading, play, and conversation activities using carefully chosen books and educational toys. “We now have 12 participating families, who are getting so much out of the program,” said Tawanna James, our PCHP home visitor. “The mothers know that they’re encouraging their children’s development, which is very motivating. But they also just enjoy spending the special time with their kids and enjoying each other. I can see the bonds deepening with every visit. “And they get to keep the books and toys we use, which the kids love, of course.” Over time, each participating mom will develop the ability to create and maintain a supportive, language-rich, intellectually stimulating

environment for her child’s development. This has very long-lasting positive effects that will remain long after the families leave Providence House for independent housing. “Over the years, PCHP has proven highly effective at improving the bond between mother and child, facilitating children’s cognitive development and school-readiness, and even increasing children’s likelihood of graduation years after participation,” said Andre Eaton, LMSW, who is the New York State Regional Coordinator of the national PCHP office that trains and certifies programs like ours. “We are delighted that Providence House is implementing PCHP in Brooklyn and Queens, and we look forward to seeing the benefits it has in the lives of these families.”

Providence House

Heartline

Providence House cuts the ribbon on

our new permanent supportive

housing building, named for Bishop

Joseph M. Sullivan. See back page.

Playing Their Way to Success

A new program helps young mothers promote their children’s school

readiness and future accomplishments—just by playing together.

“I feel like this is my nest.”

Amanda and Latifa are two of the dozens of women who found a

new start at Providence House V this year.

Many of the women served by Providence House’s parole program are released from prison to only minimal support systems, broken families, and no affordable housing. Understandably, rather than relief and exhilaration at the completion of their sentences, many feel disoriented by the sudden change and overwhelmed by new freedoms and responsibilities. Each year, Providence House helps 65 to 70 women navigate the critical period immediately after release, ensuring their successful transition to mainstream life, and greatly reducing their risk of re-offending.

Two women who are now with us, Latifa B. and Amanda H., have come a long way on their journey to self-sufficiency. Both spent some time in homeless shelters after their release. “I had nowhere to go,” Amanda recalled. “I didn’t even have any clothes other than what was on my back.” Both struggled to adjust to life in the shelters and needed additional support to make progress. If she didn’t find that support, Latifa said, “I would probably have relapsed and gone back to prison.” Fortunately, Amanda and Latifa both made contact with Providence House. At Providence House V, our re-entry residence in Brooklyn, women feel the safety and security of home. Anyone who enters a Providence House location notices all the warm, homey details: pictures on the walls, flowers on the table, and the comfort of one’s own bedroom. After years in a dormitory-style prison, Latifa

cannot overstate the importance of this, “Here you have your own room. You have a sense of security and privacy. It’s quiet and clean. You don’t have to worry.” But the benefits of Providence House are not limited to the physical comforts. It is a place that fosters community and support for people who have been without that for so long. Latifa explains “The main social hub is the kitchen. It’s not like a cafeteria. It’s a real kitchen. Everybody cooks and does chores.” Latifa and Amanda both note the positive influence of the staff and the Sisters who live with the residents. “They know how to defuse conflict and provide encouragement without judgment. The Sisters are very kind and encouraging.” In such a supportive environment, our residents can begin to establish new, more productive patterns in their lives. Both Amanda and Latifa have found steady employment and are making plans for education and further career development. They have also reconnected with friends and family who offer support. “I am proud to always be moving forward,” Amanda said. She and Latifa both expressed their appreciation for their experience at Providence House. “I feel like this is my nest,” said Latifa. “Here I can take my wings and fly.”

“ I feel like this is my nest, Here I can take my wings and fly.”

The kitchen at PH 5 is a favorite common area where the women gather to socialize, relax after work, and cook fantastic meals together.

Providence House V is a hospitable, supportive, caring place where women can begin to build new lives after incarceration.

Our thanks to volunteers Jeff Zorabedian for providing the photography for our first-page article and Thomas Engelhart for his writing on our second page.

It is a tradition at Providence House to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with the individuals and families living at each of our residences, especially for those who have no place to go for the holidays. For a few of the residents, it is the first time they have celebrated a holiday as a family. It is undoubtedly a special time for the residents, staff, and volunteers to share a meal, play games, and socialize in a familial and stress-free environment.

For the past three years, Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill and volunteers from various student groups at Medgar Evers College have made our early Thanksgiving celebrations memorable. This year they brought the spirit of Thanksgiving to more than 85 individuals and families by providing an array of delicious foods as well as cheerful hospitality to three Providence House transitional shelters in Brooklyn and Queens and in the agency’s two permanent supportive housing apartment buildings in Brooklyn. Golden Krust served a delicious menu of West Indian origin including stewed, jerked and fried chicken, rice and peas, and curried goat. Omar Hawthorne, an executive at Golden Krust who has made this annual donation to the Providence Houses possible, has gone the extra mile to ensure that the residents enjoyed an excellent meal. By partnering these past three years with Providence House, the Golden Krust franchisees have given our residents an opportunity to gather and celebrate this festive holiday as a family. The various student groups from Medgar Evers

headed by Jezel Best, a Student Ambassador, included the School of Business, National Society of Leadership & Success, and the National Association of Black Accountants. The students provided an array of tempting traditional desserts such as apple and pumpkin pies as well as the beverages. They also helped to set the tables, serve the food, and clean up after the celebratory meal. The residents were delighted when the volunteers sat and shared the meal with them, listening to their life stories as well as their aspirations for life upon gaining independent housing. It was indeed a special evening for Providence House. Thank you Golden Krust and Medgar Evers!

Golden Krust Bakery and Medgar Evers College volunteers

bring the Thanksgiving spirit to Providence House residences.

" It certainly was a pleasure to once again work with the Providence Houses ... It is our mission here at Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill to be a reliable and trustworthy corporate citizen within the communities we operate, one that they can be proud of. This could not be possible without the assistance from our dedicated franchisees and community leaders such as yourself. Thank you again for giving us this opportunity to make a difference. All the best for the holiday season. " ~Omar Hawthorne, CFE Director, Franchise Development & Community Affairs Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill

PROVIDENCE HOUSE IN NUMBERS

Fewer than 5%

of re-entry

residents return

to prison.

85% of our

residents break

the cycle of

homelessness

and obtain

independent

housing.

At any one time

260 women and

children are living

in a Providence

House residence.

More than

55,000 meals

are served

annually at

Providence

House.

85% of our

residents find

employment.

On November 19th, Providence House celebrated the opening of

the 22-unit Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan Residence, an $8.2-million

development providing permanent, service-enriched, affordable

housing for homeless adults and low-income community

residents. In attendance were Jessica Katz, Assistant

Commissioner, New York City Department of Housing

Preservation and Development (HPD); New York City Council

Member Mathieu Eugene; Moshe McKie-Krisberg, Vice

President of Richman Housing Resources; Michael McCarthy,

Director, New York Office, Alembic Community Development;

and dozens of other friends of Providence House.

“This is a wonderful day for us, ” said Sister Janet Kinney,

Executive Director of Providence House. “It was little more than

one year ago that we opened our first permanent housing

development – The D’Addario Residence – and we couldn’t be

more thrilled to be expanding our work in this way and helping

our tenants stabilize their lives and become fully participatory

members in the local community.”

Council Member Mathieu Eugene, of Brooklyn’s 40th District,

added, “The facility provides much-needed affordable housing in

the community and offers a range of services that will enable its

tenants to attain self-sufficiency and independence. The

residence is appropriately named in honor of the late Bishop

Joseph M. Sullivan, who was renowned for his tireless work on

behalf of indigent and underprivileged people in our

society. Bishop Sullivan’s enduring legacy is a reminder of our

responsibility to take care those who are in greatest need.”

Frances Sullivan, Bishop Sullivan’s sister and Providence House

Board Member said on this momentous day, “This building is

important on two levels. It shows what can be done. … (and) It

shows what must be done. If we as a Christian faith community

don’t embrace it, we are letting down the whole mission of the

Gospel and our whole purpose for being on this earth.”

PROVIDENCE HOUSE, INC. • 703 LEXINGTON AVENUE • BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11221

www.providencehouse.org • 718.455.0197 (Main Number) • 718.455.0692 (Fax)

Photo captions, starting from top right:

Sister Janet with Frances Sullivan and John Brennan.

From left to right: Sister Janet; Providence House Board President Janet D’Addario; Providence House Foundress Sister Elaine Roulet, CSJ; Board Member Jim D’Addario; President of the Congregation of St. Joseph Sister Helen Kearney, CSJ; Frances Sullivan; Providence House Foundress Sister Elizabeth Mullane, CSJ.

Sister Janet and City Council Member Mathieu Eugene.

At left: Sister Janet with Moshe McKie-Krisberg and Jessica Katz.

“What Must Be Done”

Providence House’s new 22-unit affordable, supportive apartment building

is dedicated in honor of the late Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan, a tireless

and compassionate advocate for the poor.