October 22, 2025

Keynote Address: Dr. Jonathan P. Edwards

Dr. Jonathan P. Edwards is a social scientist with over 30 years of experience at the intersection of public health, social work, and organizational development. In addition to his breadth of lived experience, he is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Peer Specialist, and Leadership Coach who serves on the faculty at Columbia University School of Social Work, holds affiliate clinical instructor status at Yale School of Medicine’s Program for Recovery and Community Health, and consults with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Jonathan has led one of the largest peer support programs in the NYC hospital system, contributed to workforce development in behavioral health and recovery, co-authored What It Takes: Wisdom from Peer Support Specialists and Supervisors, helped shape national practice guidelines and certification standards for peer support, published extensively, presented internationally, and received numerous awards recognizing his leadership and impact.

Peers as Changemakers: Building Inclusive and Supportive Workplaces

Peers with lived experience bring critical expertise and perspective to the behavioral health and housing workforce, yet too often face barriers to recognition and advancement. This panel will explore how employers and colleagues can best support peers, address workforce gaps, and value the unique contributions of those who have “been there.” Panelists will share personal stories and practical insights on how organizations can foster inclusive workplace cultures that strengthen retention, improve services, and elevate lived expertise as a driver of systemic change.

Featuring:

• Moderator: Will Woods — Open Hearts Initiative; The Health & Housing Consortium's Consumer Advisory Committee

• Nelly Gonzalez — Peer Specialist, Community Access

• Mark Jennings — Executive Director, ProjectFIND

• Jed Albano — Psych Peer Specialist, Peer Bridger Program, NewYork-Presbyterian Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program

• Sharmaine Smith — The Health & Housing Consortium's Consumer Advisory Committee

What’s Ahead: Federal Policy Changes and Their Potential Impacts on New York City

With major changes at the federal level, New York's housing and health sectors are bracing for significant impacts. From Medicaid to HUD, the landscape is rapidly evolving. This discussion brings together coalition and government leaders to assess what’s on the horizon, what it means for communities, and how providers, advocates, and systems can prepare. 

Featuring:

• Moderator: George Nashak — President and CEO, Care for the Homeless

• Selena Hajiani — Director-Strategic Operations & Planning, NYS Department of Health

• Josh Goldfein — Staff Attorney, Legal Aid Society

• Bob Moon — Deputy Commissioner-Community Program Policy and Management, NYS Office of Mental Health

• Rebecca Zangen — Chief Policy Officer, Supportive Housing Network of New York

Innovations in Health + Housing: Developing and Sustaining Promising Practices

Across New York, innovative programs are reshaping how housing and health systems work together, from cluster care models to gender-affirming shelter initiatives, to transitional programs bridging people to independence. But how can these promising programs move from pilot to permanence? In this session, philanthropic leaders and program innovators will highlight what’s working, share lessons learned, and discuss strategies for sustainability. Panelists will explore how philanthropy can catalyze change, what funders are prioritizing, and how organizations can plan for long-term impact beyond initial support.

Featuring:

• Moderator: Chantella Mitchell — Program Director-Community Development, Housing, and Human Services, The New York Community Trust

• Shawnee Rice — Program Lead, NewYork-Presbyterian - Housing Navigation Program

• Paul Freitag — Executive Director, WSFSSH

• Sean Ebony Coleman — Founder and Executive Director, Destination Tomorrow - Ace's Place

• Rosita Marinez — Senior Vice President of Supported Housing, Institute for Community Living - Health Connect

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

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

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