New York City Relief Celebrates 30 Years of Awakening Hope in the Service of the Homeless Community, Plans to Expand its Reach, Find More Ways to Serve
NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- New York City Relief, a 501(c)(3) organization serving the homeless population in New York City and New Jersey, announced that today marks its 30 year anniversary of providing hope and resources to people on the streets of New York City. NYC Relief also announced its year-long plan to celebrate and thank its lifetime of volunteers and donors for supporting people struggling with homelessness. Homelessness has reached the highest levels in New York City since the Great Depression. New York City saw a 2.8% increase in the homeless population from 2017 to 2018, with 78,676 people reported homeless last year. More than 63,000 people will sleep in shelters tonight, and that includes as many as 23,000 school-aged children. That doesn’t count the thousands that will sleep on the streets and in subways. Each “number” represents an individual – a person with a story, and a unique set of needs and circumstances. And for 30 years and counting, NYC Relief has been making space at their table as a beacon of hope and resources to people searching for life transformation, with successful outreach models that are based on mobility and consistency. Founder Richard Galloway says, “People like myself who were once addicted are now free and alive, and spend their days serving and loving others. We came thinking we could ‘give something’ to help the poor and homeless folks, but our real discovery is that the poor are not a problem to be solved, but rather a portal to the very heart of God.” “In order to break out of homelessness, people in crisis need access to relationships and vital resources,” said President and CEO Juan Galloway. “Many times people living on the streets are so burdened with the task of daily survival that they don’t have the capacity to figure out where to go and what to do in order to get back on their feet to become self-sustaining again. That’s where we come in with the connections they need.” NYC Relief has established two basic models for their service to the homeless: Relief Bus NYC Relief’s Relief Buses are mobile care centers where volunteers serve homemade soup & bread, distribute hygiene kits, host Life Care Visits, and pray for the needs of our friends on the street. By setting up tables & chairs on the sidewalk, the organization creates an intentional space that welcomes guests and invites conversation over a shared meal. Relief Co-op In 2017, NYC Relief launched the Relief Co-Op, which is a partnership with other nonprofits providing direct services. With this model, teams go to locations where the homeless population is already congregating and hold Life Care Visits while guests wait for immediate services. What makes NYC Relief distinctive:
Some additional facts about NYC Relief:
What NYC Relief is doing to mark this important anniversary:
NYC Relief, founded in 1989, is a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Elizabeth, New Jersey and currently serving in the NYC neighborhoods of the Bronx, Harlem, Midtown, Lower Manhattan and Newark. NYC Relief is a member of the Rescue Alliance and an affiliate of Hope for New York. Please check out our website newyorkcityrelief.org for more information and email us with any questions, and to get involved: info@newyorkcityrelief.org View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/homelessness-is-at-its-highest-levels-in-nyc-since-the-great-depression-300798943.html SOURCE New York City Relief |