Commissioner González-Sánchez Awards $1.875 Million for Permanent Supportive Housing for Families in New York

ALBANY, NY (02/13/2012)(readMedia)-- New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez today announced the first round of Permanent Supportive Housing grants for families, a component of the New York/New York III Homeless Initiative. The program model includes rental subsidies up to HUD Fair Market Rental rates for two- and three-bedroom apartments; intensive case management services; job development and employment counseling services; and clinical supervision of the direct service staff. The fully annualized amount of this first round is $1,875,000, which will support 75 families.

On November 7, 2011, OASAS released the RFP for Round One of New York/New York III Permanent Supportive Housing for Homeless Families. This competitive procurement process included a Bidders' Conference in NYC on November 14. Applications were due to OASAS on December 5, 2011. Award letters were sent by the Commissioner on January 19, 2012.

The target population for this initiative is chronically homeless families, families at serious risk of becoming chronically homeless and other currently homeless families in which the head-of-household has a substance use disorder.

The first priority is families living in shelters. Women who are heads of households, currently in an OASAS-certified intensive residential program, and whose discharge plan is to reunite with their children, will also benefit from this collaborative initiative.

"One of the critical elements of helping individuals to maintain their recovery from drug and alcohol addiction is stable housing. This grant provides a great opportunity to help them to rebuild their lives and provide a home for their families," said Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez.

The New York/New York III Agreement is a 10-year, City-State commitment to create 9,000 new units of supportive housing in New York City. The Agreement includes 1,150 units for family supportive housing. The State is responsible for 375 of these units, with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) procuring the rest.

The five agencies identified to receive awards include:

Agency Geographic Area Number of Units

Annual Award Amount
Housing + Solutions Brooklyn 10

$250,000
Women In Need Manhattan 20 $498,900
Palladia Bronx 10 $250,000
Odyssey House Bronx 20

$499,900
BASICS Bronx 15

$374,925
5 Agencies 3 Communities 75 apartments $1,873,725

OASAS oversees one of the nation's largest addiction services systems dedicated to Prevention, Treatment and Recovery, with more than 1,550 programs serving over 110,000 New Yorkers on any given day.

For more information, please visit www.oasas.ny.gov.