Nazareth Programs Transitional
Housing | Permanent
Housing Transitional apartments and supportive services are the primary focus of Nazareth Housing.
During their stay, on average 9 months, the families develop and carry out individualized action plans which specify goals and objectives which are designed to create the circumstances that support family self-sufficiency. Nazareth Housing staff work with the clients to increase their independent living skills, so as to decrease the chance of returning to homelessness. Education and employment goals are assessed, programs identified, enrollment facilitated. These efforts are augmented by the services of the job readiness counselor, who provides group workshops and one to one counseling; the financial literacy counselor who teaches budgeting skills; the housing specialist who works with each family to find permanent housing, with a renewable lease, that is right for the family composition and sustainable on their budget; and the case manager, who is actively involved in assessing, and advocating for child care, school, benefits, medical and mental health care, domestic violence and legal services. Given our small size, staff can know the clients as people, not cases, allowing them to tailor interventions to meet particular needs and circumstances. In addition to providing housing and supportive services to shelter residents, since 1998 Nazareth Housing has offered family and youth activities. This program seeks to teach parents to find inexpensive social and cultural resources, to provide quality stress-free time for parents and children and to promote family unity. Both children and adults use the library and computer lab in our Learning Center, which is located in one of Nazareth’s buildings. On a monthly basis Nazareth offers one-on-one computer classes and NYU student volunteers read one-on-one to the children. Happily, Nazareth Housing sponsors weekend and school holiday recreation trips which give parents and children an opportunity to relax and enjoy each other, at no additional burden to their limited budget. Some of the trips this year were to the Tenement Museum, Sesame Place, the theater (STOMP), the Liberty Science Center, and the movies. A bus trip to Rye Playland will close the summer and apple picking will open the fall. |
The
majority of the heads of household served by Nazareth are single
African-American and Latina women ranging in age from 19 to 30.
Our shelter is made up of scattered site apartments in three
cooperative buildings. We seek to stabilize the lives of women
and their families by securing housing and supportive services,
increase the skills and income of the women by helping
them to access educational and vocational opportunities and to
improve the family’s ability for self-determination
by helping them develop confidence and skills in dealing with
issues affecting their lives, such as educational advancement.
