Agenda

9:00 am – Registration and Networking Breakfast

9:30am – Welcome from Consortium Executive Director, Bonnie Mohan

10:00am – Opening Remarks from Council Member Sandy Nurse, District 37

10:15am – Building Sustainable Communities: Community Land Trusts as Catalysts for Healthy Homes

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) offer a transformative strategy in combating New York City's housing affordability crisis and improving the overall health and wellness of working communities. Join us for an engaging keynote presentation by Sandra Lobo, Executive Director of the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition, as she showcases CLTs' crucial role in harnessing collective community power to preserve and promote safe, healthy, and affordable neighborhoods. She will showcase the Bronx Community Land Trust's progress in leveraging input by local residents in advancing health and housing justice among low-income New Yorkers, as well as outline current advocacy efforts in passing the Community Land Act.

• Sandra Lobo, Executive Director – Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition

11:00am – Welcoming the Newest New Yorkers: Moving Beyond an Emergency Response

As migrants continue to arrive in New York City, they face complex immigration systems and barriers to accessing housing, healthcare, and employment. In this panel, we will challenge some of the prevailing myths about this new wave of immigration to our city and explore how we can shift from crisis response to offering long-term support for these newest New Yorkers. Make the Road NY will present findings from their survey of 766 recent migrants, while also providing historical immigration context and policy recommendations. We will discuss efforts to increase access to healthcare and insurance coverage regardless of legal status, how City and State agencies are working to coordinate their response, and address threats to New York City’s right-to-shelter. Attendees will learn about opportunities to advocate for a comprehensive, sustained support system for new New Yorkers beyond emergency response.

• Deysi Flores, Civil Rights and Immigration Lead Organizer – Make the Road NY

• Max Hadler, Director of Policy and Immigrant Initiatives, Health Care Access and Policy Unit, Bureau of Equitable Health Systems – New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

• Josh Goldfein, Staff Attorney – Legal Aid Society

• Moderator: R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez, Assistant Professor of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine Center for Early Childhood Health & Development – NYU Langone Health

12:30pm – Networking Lunch

1:30pm – Thinking Outside the Box to Address the Human Services Workforce Crisis

New York's enduring workforce crisis in the human services sector is the result of decades of financial disinvestment, despite our state's growing reliance on non-profits to provide vital services. While the need for more equitable wages and improved working conditions remains a top policy priority, immediate and innovative solutions are needed to support the sector, its staff, and those who rely on its critical services. During this panel, we will discuss the future of the #JustPay campaign, ways to support and encourage Black leadership development in the sector, and untapped workforce pipelines including the role of peers.

• Michelle Jackson, Executive Director – Human Services Council

• Mark Jennings, Executive Director – Project FIND

• Arielle Kandell, Executive Director – New Women New Yorkers

• Diane Louard-Michel, Executive Director – Lantern Community Services

• Moderator: Bonnie Mohan, Executive Director – The Health & Housing Consortium

3:00pm – Break

3:15pm – From Peers to Policy: Understanding New York's Mental Health Plans

In this panel, leaders from New York City and New York State will discuss their mental health plans, alongside providers and advocates, including a leader whose personal experience underscores the urgency of transforming how we respond to people in mental health crises. The discussion will delve into successful strategies, gaps in current initiatives, and the essential role of peers in mental health support. The panel will evaluate the effectiveness of City and State plans to address diverse mental health needs, shedding light on what is working well and identifying critical areas for improvement, with a focus on the role of housing in mental health care.

• Dr. Ann M. Sullivan, Commissioner – NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH)

• Deepa Avula, Executive Deputy Commissioner – NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)

• Sheina Banatte, Advocate – Correct Crisis Intervention Today (CCIT-NYC)

• Ann-Marie Louison, Chief Impact Officer – CASES 

• Moderator: Patricia Hernandez, Director, Metro NY, NJ & PA — Corporation for Supportive Housing

4:45pm – Closing Remarks

• Pascale Leone, Executive Director – Supportive Housing Network of New York; Vice President – Consortium Board of Directors

5:00-6:00pm – Networking Happy Hour