05 AUG 2015

Running for My Hero: From Texas to the NYC Finish Line

By Jaime Telfeyan-Haddock

My brother Zar has paranoid schizophrenia and is on the autism spectrum. He is my hero and the reason I am running with Team Community Access in the 2015 NYC Marathon.

17 JULY 2015

Getting Out to Get Better

By Shavohnna Brisco - CA Tenant

Wake up, put coffee on, clean, shower, prep dinner, watch Netflix, repeat.

22 DEC 2014

Another Pedigree Tale (Woof Woof)

By Gali Bellamy - Dog

Not long ago on a hot July afternoon, I sat gazing out a dingy little window at the A.S.P.C.A., wondering what the cruel world had in store for me. Years of honest toil had slowed my once-vital limbs – and I didn’t have so much as a collar to call my own. Nor a single friend to vouch for my fabulous personality.

20 JUNE 2014

The Healing Power of Pets

By Jody Silver - Executive Director of CSPNJ

Pets can play a powerful role in aiding mental health recovery. They offer companionship, emotional support, and - especially for dog walkers - are a great way to connect with your local community.

7 NOV 2013

One Year On, Hurricane Sandy Rebulding Continues

By Steve Coe - (former) CEO

It’s been a year since our New York waterways rose up and went to places they had never gone before, including flooding the basements in three of our buildings. Altogether nine Community Access buildings went without heat and power for several long days and nights after the Con Ed substation in the East Village exploded.

28 JUNE 2013

Counting Down to Our 40th Anniversary

By Steve Coe - (former) CEO

It was three degrees on a January morning in 1979 when I first walked into the Community Access-owned apartment buildings on the Lower East Side. Up until then, I hadn’t given much thought to the seismic shift in mental health policy that saw the release of thousands of former patients into the community. Community Access’s founding board members were well aware of the issue, and the often tragic consequences of expecting extremely poor people, with little experience living independently, to make their way in the world.

5 DEC 2013

Sharing Good Food and Company Over the Holidays

By Steve Coe - (former) CEO

We all have our Thanksgiving traditions. Mine began over 30 years ago when I cooked my first turkey for 20 or so Community Access tenants living in our buildings on the Lower East Side. Like all good executives, I pretended I knew exactly what I was doing, but in reality there was a lot of pressure on a young guy less than six months into his job to get this one right.

16 NOV 2012

Hurricane Sandy: A View From the Ground #2

By Dwayne Mayes - (Former) Director of HTH

When Hurricane Sandy hit us, it was a huge disruption to our normal operating procedures, including a last-minute cancellation of our annual Howie the Harp Graduation Ceremony. In the interest of safety, it was necessary to make sure our well-deserving graduates and their guests were not put in harm’s way; my staff and I were able to contact every graduate on Sunday evening (10/28) - the day before the storm hit - in order to make sure they had proper information. Everyone was extremely grateful and understanding of the precautionary steps that were taken.

14 NOV 2012

Hurricane Sandy: A View From the Ground #1

By Charles McMellon, Esq., Snr. Legal Counsel

Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc and destruction to many Community Access facilities throughout the city. Those most adversely affected were in the borough of Manhattan below 40th Street, although sites in the Bronx also experienced power and computer outages.

12 NOV 2012

Hurricane Sandy: Crisis and Response

By Maggi Knox - Director of Real Estate

Nine of Community Access’s 17 buildings, housing 360 people, lost electricity, heat, hot water, phones, Internet, and elevator service because of Hurricane Sandy on Monday, Oct. 29.

21 AUG 2012

Wandering, Wondering, Getting Lost & Goose Bumps…

By Evi van der Niet - Community Organizer

Hi there! My name is Evi. My passion is to share and see things grow! People, plants, wishes, dishes and dreams! Since I’m always longing for new adventures, I tried to be a little bit like a New Yorker this summer through volunteering at Community Access with Evi’s Pop Up Kitchen…