Greetings!
I’m writing this as Community Access’ new CEO. Today – July 1 – is my first day! I am very grateful for the opportunity to lead an organization that has been such a central part of my life.
Next week, I will have been at Community Access for 20 years. Our values – human rights, peer expertise, self-determination, harm reduction, healing and recovery – drew me here 20 years ago and continue to sustain me, and so many others, in our work. I’m tremendously thankful to everyone who is a part of our advocacy and outreach: a large and growing community.
We are all immensely proud to announce that our newest building on 172nd Street in the Bronx, offering affordable supportive housing, is ready for occupancy and the first of 126 households signed leases last week. We have a great team in place and we are so excited to open our doors. Do stay tuned for news of the ribbon-cutting when we will be able to celebrate the contributions of all who have made 172nd Street possible.
As usual, there is a lot more going on at Community Access. It’s my pleasure to share some of these recent highlights with you through this newsletter. Feel free to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if anything particularly sparks your interest – there are many ways to get involved in our work and I’ll be happy to hear from you.
People Helping People is a new short film about the work and people of Community Access – featuring tenants, participants, and staff, and filmed on location at our brand new building opening soon on 172nd Street in the Bronx. Having a stable home is a platform for so much more to happen in people’s lives. We’d love for you to hear some of these stories of people helping people.
Community Access’ Blueprint Supported Education program recently hosted the Supported Education Symposium – a first-of-its-kind event in NYC dedicated to sharing best practices, building networks, and identifying a policy agenda for Supported Education in the city.
Featuring a keynote address from international Supported Education expert Professor Lies Korevaar, as well as workshops and presentations, the symposium sparked many conversations about partnerships and strategies for providing an education to all who seek one – especially for people living with mental health concerns, and individuals with histories of criminal justice involvement. Learn more and watch our event livestream.
If you’re familiar with the Community Access Art Collective, you know that we have a talented group of artists creating paintings, books, drawings, sketches, screen prints, and so much more. Recently, members of the Art Collective had the opportunity to feature their work and stories of the “Lived Experience” during a month-long exhibition at the Queens Library in Flushing.
The Art Collective is a community of artists who share the experience of living with mental health concerns, and who help each other develop as artists and support each other in their work. Take a minute and check out their Art Store.
Some recent news stories featuring Community Access:
The Progressive: "Experiencing a mental health crisis in New York City can be a harrowing ordeal, but it shouldn’t be a fatal one."
NBC: Former WNBA Star, Olympian Shares Struggles (Interview with CA ambassador and all-round MVP mental health advocate Chamique Holdsclaw)
