Annual Convenings
Since 2011, the Consortium has held an annual Health & Housing Convening of its members and partners. The Convening brings together stakeholders across healthcare, housing, social service, and government sectors to share ideas about recent developments and best practices within the healthcare and housing realms. Discussion at the Convening helps determine the initiatives that will drive the Consortium’s work for the upcoming year.
Save the Date! 15th Annual Convening
October 22, 2025
Please join us for our 15th Annual Convening on October 22, 2025! We are excited to convene in person at NYU Langone Health - Tisch Hospital for a once-a-year opportunity to hear from a diverse group of leaders and practitioners about critical issues at the intersections of housing, homelessness, healthcare, and immigration.
Tickets will be available for purchase soon and will include access to the full event, including lunch and a networking happy hour.
Previous Convenings
14th Annual Convening
October 23, 2024
Innovations in Action: Promising Approaches to Tackling Persistent Challenges in Housing + Healthcare
Moderator: Marjorie Momplaisir-Ellis - Senior Director, NYC Health + Hospitals
Elizabeth Powers - Assistant Program Director, Healthcare Initiatives, Breaking Ground
Cynthia English - Speaker, NYU Health x Housing Lab Speakers Bureau
Maya Hernandez - Founder & Director, Doulas en Español
Robin Kahan-Berman, EdM, OTR/L - Vice President of Occupational Therapy, Project Renewal
Best Practices and Opportunities for Safe Hospital Discharge to Shelter, Respite, and Supportive Housing
Moderator: Flávio Casoy, MD, DFAPA - Medical Director, Acute Hospital Care, Community Transitions, and Managed Care - NYS Office of Mental Health
Shauna Barry, LCSW - Director of Clinical Learning and Development, BronxWorks
Amanda Ramsdell, MD - Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
Dwight Kemp, MD, MS - Unit Chief, Extended Care Unit, NYC Health + Hospitals
Alric Nembhard - Lived Expertise Advocate/Consultant, NYU Health x Housing Lab Speakers Bureau
Nirah Johnson, LCSW - Director of Special Populations, NYC Department of Homeless Services
Policy Update: Checking in on New York’s Medicaid 1115 Waiver and the Role of Social Care Networks
Moderator: Kristina Ramos-Callan - Senior Consultant, Health Management Associates
Emily Engel - Bureau Director, New York State Department of Health
Zachariah Hennessey - Chief Strategy Officer & EVP, WholeYouNYC, Public Health Solutions
Lidia Virgil - Chief Operating Officer, SOMOS
Joseph Conte - Executive Director, Staten Island Performing Provider System
Kathy Miller - Chief Operating Officer, Bronx RHIO
Closing Remarks
13th Annual Convening
December 5, 2023
Welcome from Consortium Executive Director, Bonnie Mohan
Opening Remarks from Council Member Sandy Nurse, District 37
Building Sustainable Communities: Community Land Trusts as Catalysts for Healthy Homes
Sandra Lobo, Executive Director – Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition
Welcoming the Newest New Yorkers: Moving Beyond an 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
Thinking Outside the Box to Address the Human Services Workforce Crisis
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
From Peers to Policy: Understanding New York's Mental Health Plans
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
Closing Remarks
Pascale Leone, Executive Director – Supportive Housing Network of New York; Vice President – Consortium Board of Directors
12th Annual Convening
Day 1: December 14, 2022, 2–5pm
2022 Highlights for the Consortia + Presentation of the 3rd Annual Joe Fund Award
Bonnie Mohan, Executive Director – The Health & Housing Consortium, Inc.
Amy L. Freeman, PhD, MPH, Director – Brooklyn Health & Housing Consortium; Research Assistant Professor – Dept. of Population Health, NYU School of Medicine
Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness
Jessica Katz, Chief Housing Officer – City of New York
Moderator: Michelle de la Uz,Executive Director – Fifth Avenue Committee, Neighbors Helping Neighbors
New York State Medicaid 1115 Waiver Proposal: Partnerships to Address Health Disparities Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic
Emily Engel, Director of Bureau of Social Care and Community Supports – New York State Department of Health
Moderator: Marcella Maguire, Director of Health Systems Integration – CSH
Day 2: December 15, 2022, 2–4:30pm
Migrant Rights are Human Rights: Coordinating Support for NYC Asylum Seekers
Opening Remarks: Luba Cortés – Make the Road NY
Dr. Fabienne Laraque, Medical Director – New York City Department of Homeless Services
Chris Keely, Ambulatory Care Chief Operating Officer – NYC Health + Hospitals
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
Alfredo Matthews, Senior Vice President of Transitional Housing – Acacia Network Housing
Dr. Jessica Sessions, Medical Director – Ramon Velez Medical Center
Moderator: Sarah Oltmans, Chief of Grant Strategy – Robin Hood Foundation
Keynote Address: Everyone’s Homeless (During a Zombie Apocalypse) + Closing Remarks
M.A. Dennis (short for Many Attitudes of Dennis) has been called “the poet laureate for formerly homeless & undomiciled individuals.” He uses the written and spoken word to advocate, educate, and share his lived experience, in order to amplify the voice of the voiceless and document the correlation between housing and mental health.
Pascale Leone, Executive Director – Supportive Housing Network of New York; Vice President – Consortium Board of Directors