In a fight to preserve the safety net for vulnerable New Yorkers, Project Re-

newal staff, clients, and partners made their voices heard when proposed state and city budgets threatened to cut or eliminate life-saving programs. Proposed cuts would have made it more difficult for clients to find a path out of poverty and homelessness. In a unified effort to draw attention to our plight, we joined the Human Services Council’s Who Cares? I Do campaign to raise awareness about the budget impact. A series of ral-lies, letter-writing campaigns, and trips to meet legislators in Albany delivered a strong message on behalf of those who are easily ignored or forgotten.

Project Renewal advocates pointed out that proposed cuts for shelters and rent subsidies would have cost govern-ment a lot more to deal with the result-ing crisis of homelessness than it would to invest in helping people to get stable housing, employment and help with addiction or mental illness. The elimina-tion of rental subsidies would just cause the shelter system to grow. Unfortu-

nately, emergency shelter is currently the fastest-growing part of the homeless system. Investment in supportive hous-ing and other solutions help clients exit the revolving door between the streets and institutions.

While the State budget was on time and balanced, it did not contain much good news for low-income and homeless New Yorkers. All the same, the advocacy was successful in convincing the State to allow the establishment of behavioral health organizations and special needs managed care plans for individuals with mental illness. The fight was also critical in convincing the State to invest in a new rental subsidy program to be devel-oped jointly by the City and the State. In the City budget, the news was better. Project Renewal was able to preserve medical and psychiatric services in our shelters which are critical for helping residents regain their physical and mental health. In addition, funding was continued for case management services for people living with HIV/AIDS in our supportive housing residences.

Scott McDonald stood on the George Washington Bridge in the middle of

winter, exhausted and alone. “There is nothing else for me in life, I am done.” He stood on the bridge for three or four hours. “I seriously considered going off the bridge. I would put my foot on the railing then put it down.”

After living a “normal American life,” Scott lost his marriage, home, and job when pressures drove him to alcoholism and depression. The low point came the day he stood on that bridge. “I gave everything away and had nothing left. At the end of it I decided to take a walk instead. I checked into Bellevue. But it wasn’t until I got to Project Renewal that I tried to start dealing with things.”

Our Fort Washington Men’s Shelter was there for Scott at the lowest point in his life. Shelter Director Etta Graham voiced the importance of the program that helped Scott and so many others like him. “Our shelter provides a place where people can begin to rebuild their lives one goal at time. The services that each staff provides to the men that are in our care are invaluable and to have these services cut or reduced would not only affect the men, but it will affect all of us in the Human Services world. Our main goal in the shelter is to help our clients re-capture their humanness and decrease the stigma that is attached

SCOTT MCDONALD’S JOURNEY TO ALBANY

“I’m a person not a pie chart.”

continued on page 1

Who Cares? I Do.Supporters Rally to Preserve Safety Net

mattersFall 2011

Health, Homes and Jobs for Homeless New Yorkers

2 Project Renewal matters | Fall 2011

to being homeless, mentally ill, and poor by providing our clients supportive housing and services that will increase their self-worth.”

Scott agrees. “What Fort Washing-ton did for me is I went from being foggy with no direction to being on a straight path. The people at Fort Washington were able to gently and respectfully get me back to where I can function with normalcy.” After renew-ing his life at Fort Washington, Scott McDonald fought to save the programs that saved his life. Speaking in Albany, Scott urged legislators and state officials to protect funding for homeless services. “I never thought I would have gone to Albany in my past life, but now I would. It was vital for them to see a person there instead of pie charts and numbers.”

21st Annual Gala A Great Success!

On June 9th, over 250 guests gathered for our 21st Annual Gala Benefit & Auction at the

Waldorf=Astoria. The event raised over $770,000 to fund life-saving programs to help homeless men and women leave the streets and return to health, homes, and jobs.

Guests won fabulous auction items, sipped cocktails, savored delicious cuisine, and embraced the mission of Project Renewal. NBC News Anchor Erika Tarantal emcee’d the program and Christie’s auctioneer Brian McComak inspired lively bidding.

Our Keynote Speaker, Geffner House chef Octavia Penn, shared her personal story from a life of addiction to a life of culinary creations through Comfort Foods and the Culinary Arts Training Program. “Project Renewal gave me a chance; they believed in me. I feel good today. I’m clean, I’m focused, and I’m doing something I love. Project Renewal is second chances.”

Thank you to our corporate sponsor Capital One Bank and everyone who helped make the evening a success: pa-trons, auction prize donors, volunteers, and Trustees.

Scott McDonald..continued from page 1

HELP A CLIENTTAKE THE NEXT STEP TO A JOB

Next Step has pre-screened and motivated job candidates seeking jobs in maintenance, food service, stock room,

construction, customer service, and more…

If you’re hiring or able to able to make an introduction to a hiring manager,

call now.

Monica Roquitte, Next Step Program Director

212-620-0340 ext. 355

From Left: Gala Chair Jim Davidson, Board Chair Neil Mitchell, News Anchor Erika Tarantal, President & CEO Mitchell Netburn.

Guests bid generously in Live Auction.

Trustee Ashley Venetos (center) with guests.

Trustee Geoffrey Proulx (center) with Elizabeth and Alvaro Ortiz.

From Left: Mark Kraehling and Steven Jones, Project Renewal CFO.

Octavia Penn

3Project Renewal matters | Fall 2011

Laura Ramirez was a Golden Gloves championship boxer as a high school student in the Bronx,

but when it came to a career, she hung up the gloves and put on the chef ’s hat. Laura was referred by VESID, a state employment services agency, to the Culinary Arts Training Program last fall. After excelling in the classroom train-ing, she began a 3 month internship at AIG’s corporate dining room. Many students are hired at the place where they intern, but Laura had a different

job in mind: to be a chef in one of the city’s top restaurants. With her resume and her determination, Laura went from one restaurant to another, literally knocking on the door and asking if the chef was hiring. Fifty restaurants later, Laura knocked on the door of Marc Forgione, owner & chef at Restaurant Marc Forgione on Reade Street and 2010 winner of the Food Network’s Iron Chef. Marc was impressed and hired Laura as a “garde manger” or salad person. Laura invited her new boss to

the Culinary Arts graduation in May and continues to thrive on the job. “I am very fortunate to be in the position that I am in today. Working with Marc Forgione and his staff, I learn something new every day. I’m grateful for Project Renewal staff and my classmates for never giving up on me and pushing me to work harder.”

Next Step Job Placement is giving clients a boost in this tough economic climate

through the Friday Morning Job Club. The biweekly club helps motivate clients and connect them to employers from targeted industries. It encourages clients to network and communicate with potential employers. Professionals from fields like Human Resources host the club. They help enhance clients’

understanding of the employer’s per-spective by explaining what skills and positions employers are seeking, how to apply for them, and what employers expect of their employees once they are hired.

Some of the employers hosted include Affinity Health Plan, Geffner House, Metro Scanning (a not-for-profit Social venture), Shamrock/EDC, the Third Street Men’s Shelter

and the Hotel Association of New York. In the first six weeks of the club, nine clients obtained employment, 15 were accepted into Metro Scan-ning’s training program (the successful completion of which guarantees well paid employment with the company) and 26 clients are in the process of applying for various positions with Af-finity Health Plan.

IT’S A KNOCKOUT: Culinary Arts Training Program Graduate Wins a Job at Iron Chef’s Top NYC Restaurant

Friday Morning Job Club Gives Clients a Boost

Iron Chef Marc Forgione (right) with Culinary Arts Chef Instructor Anthony O’Connor.

4 Project Renewal matters | Fall 2011

Comfort Foods chefs had many helping hands when Capital One employees signed up to volunteer in the kitchens during the bank’s “One Week” na-tionwide volunteer event. “The timing couldn’t have been better,” said Director Barbara Hughes, “We usually rely on Culinary Arts students to help the chefs as part of their training experience, but this was a week between Cycles when there were no classes and no student help! We’re all grateful for the enthusiasm and energy that the 19 volunteers brought to the kitchen. It took a lot of stress off our staff in getting thousands of meals prepped that week.”

Stay Informed with our E-Newsletter To follow the impact of your financial support of Project Renewal, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter at www.projectrenewal.org. You’ll meet some of the people like Scott McDonald whose lives are changed because of your support.

Board of TrusteesNeil S. Mitchell

Chair

Susan M. Akselrad Pamela J. Bell

Alan BelzerRussell S. Berman

Suzanne Henry BoiesColleen CavanaughJames S. DavidsonAnthony S. Kendall

David J. KoeppelThe Honorable Richard B. Lowe, III

Mark H. MinterEarl MonroeNan L. Perell

Chuck PolGeoffrey Proulx

Mary Lynn PutneyJules M. Ranz, M.D.

Claudia RosenCarl S. Rosoff

Laura J. RothschildJames W. Stevens

Caverly “Lee” StringerAshley Safronoff Venetos

Mitchell NetburnPresident & CEO

PROJECT RENEWAL200 Varick Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10014

212-620-0340 • www.projectrenewal.org

It’s Time to Move In at the New Fletcher Street Residence

Construction is complete at our newest residence in the Bronx and

we’re getting ready to welcome 105 new tenants in this supportive housing devel-opment. One wing includes 55 studio apartments for mentally-ill men and women living independently. The other wing is a therapeutic community for 50 men in recovery from alcohol and/or substance abuse. This model has proven effec-tive because it is based on both individual and group counseling and a job program at the Times Square Alliance. The new building helps to meet the growing demand for affordable and safe housing for formerly homeless New Yorkers.

Capital One Employees Volunteer at Comfort Foods

Christopher M. BellapiantaVijay Desiraju

Scott DonohueBrandl Frey

Nicholas HemmerlyLilah Hume

Jeffrey KirshenbaumRobin Lee

Colin MeagherKeenan ReillyDavid Rowley

Jenny SharfsteinNicholas Sklar

Christopher SmajdorAmanda Tomasello

Frederick H. Volp

Junior Board

Help homeless men and women leave the streets for health, homes and jobs…with your donation. It’s safe, fast and on-line at www.projectrenewal.org. Look for the “Donate Now” button on every page.