Our Mission
The mission of Westchester County’s Continuum of Care Partnership to End Homelessness is to coordinate all of the stakeholders, systems, and resources available to prevent and end homelessness in Westchester County, NY.
Our Vision
The vision of the CoC Partnership is that within the next ten years, all persons and families experiencing the possibility of homelessness in Westchester County will have a permanent, safe, decent, and affordable place to call home, will secure the means to economic stability and that no one will remain homeless in Westchester for more than 30 days before being restored to appropriate housing.
Our Purpose
The purpose of the CoC Partnership is to assist in the coordination and development of services and housing for homeless and low income persons with housing needs by seeking to:
Provide knowledge and engage the general population of Westchester County to understand the issues around homelessness
Identify housing and services needs of homeless and low-income persons in Westchester County based upon ongoing needs assessments
Distribute relevant information to Westchester County service providers to address housing needs
Mobilize the fullest possible variety of public and private resources to prevent and end homelessness in Westchester County
Mobilize resources to help individuals and families achieve economic stability
Support planning and development of services to meet prioritized needs within Westchester County
Encourage the development of a diverse array of permanent affordable, subsidized, and supportive housing throughout Westchester County
Effectuate all Continuum of Care responsibilities and set forth by HUD
Our Guiding Principles
This document sets forth the guiding principles of membership and participation in The Westchester County Continuum of Care Partnership for the Homeless.
Partner Agencies
Our Partner Organizations
Updated August 9th 2024
CoC Board
Karl Bertrand
Program Design & Development LLC.
Co-Chair
Craig Wong
Westchester DSS
Co-Chair
Annette Peters-Ruvolo
Westchester DCMH, Grant Recipient
Anahaita Kotval
Lifting Up Westchester, Grant Subrecipient
Sylvia Bolivar
The City of Mount Vernon, Grant Recipient
Angela Bailey
Lived Experience Representative
Helen Frankel
FSSY, Grant Subrecipient
Cynthia Knox
CHHOP, Grant Subrecipient
Nicole Granata
HDSW, Grant Subrecipient
Cordetta Creighton
The Guidance Center of Westchester, Grant Subrecipient
Anthony Sanchez
Westchester DSS, Vocational Services Representative
Vincent Madera
The Children’s Village, Grant Subrecipient
Sylvia Hamer
HOPE Community Services, Grant Recipient
James Coughlin
Westhab, Grant Subrecipient
Judy Mezey
City of White Plains Planning, Municipal Representative
Kathy Valencia
Lexington Center for Recovery, Grant Subrecipient
Kathleen Sutherland
BOCES Educational Representative
Jomarie Casarella
Westchester DSS, Grant Recipient
Brittany Hodgins
Hope’s Door, Domestic Violence Representative
Tajae Gaynor
CLUSTER, At Large Member
Grace Perry Scott
The Bridge Fund , At Large Member
Alba Guevara
City of Yonkers Planning & Development, ESG Recipient
Charlie Knight
YWCA of Yonkers, Grant Subrecipient
Colin Dacres
WestCop, Grant Subrecipient
Denise Wesley
MHACY, Grant Recipient
Paul Stolz
VA Hudson Valley, Veterans Service Representative
Ruthanne Becker
MHA of Westchester, Grant Subrecipient
CoC Subcommittees
Our Subcommittees
Anti-Racism Evaluation & Advisory Committee
The mission of the Anti-Racism Evaluation & Advisory Committee is to ensure that all policies and practices of the Westchester County Continuum of Care Partnership to End Homelessness (CoC) seek to identify and dismantle systemic barriers in access to housing resources for all people experiencing homelessness in our county.
Coordinated Entry/Data & Systems Committee
The purpose of the Coordinated Entry/ Data & Systems Committee is to enhance access to CoC services by clients, improve overall coordinated entry and CoC system efficiency, and track system outcomes to strengthen decision-making.
The purpose of the CoC’s Education Committee is to organize, develop, and maintain successful trainings and educational opportunities for CoC member organizations. This includes organizing the CoC’s annual symposium, and other periodic trainings, and seminars. The goal of the Education Committee is to ensure that CoC member organizations provide there staff with information and trainings necessary for providing the level of knowledge and skill needed to serve there clients with competence and professionalism.
Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is designed to serve the nation’s most vulnerable people, including those experiencing chronic homelessness. These individuals and families are challenged by chronic health conditions, substance abuse and mental health issues, social isolation, and poverty. The purpose of the CoC’s Housing Success Workgroup is to support the implementation and use of the Housing First Model and to discuss and address the barriers that PSH clients face in accessing and maintaining housing. To increase housing retention rates with the understanding that housing stabilization is essential to improving the health conditions and overall well-being of our program participants. Housing providers meet with County and CoC leadership to review individual situations and share ideas and support as they work together to find solutions on individual and, as needed, systemic levels.
The purpose of the Landlord Relations Committee is to discuss ways to: formulate programs to improve landlord-tenant relations, accumulate information on available housing accommodations, resolve problems and disputes between landlords and housing organizations through mediation and/or discussion, and to work together to increase the number of landlords associated with CoC housing programs.
Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG)
The purpose of the Lived Experience Advisory Group is to gain feedback from those who are currently or formerly homeless. This advisory group is created and operated by individuals with a current or past lived experience of homelessness. Members make recommendations for improvement within Westchester’s homeless response system and assist with implementation of services, ultimately serving as a platform to coordinate with traditional systems of care in ending homelessness across Westchester County.
The purpose of the Patriot Housing Initiative Committee is to address systemic barriers identified by providers and Veterans that prevent Veterans from getting housed quickly and efficiently with the ultimate goal of ending homelessness among Westchester County's veterans
Permanent Supported Housing Coordinated Entry Referral Conference (PSH-CERC)
The PSH CERC works to standardize and streamline PSH processes by crafting and implementing strategies related to Coordinated Entry such as; matching participants facing chronic homelessness to PSH vacancies, eliciting cross-agency collaborations, discharge planning from emergency systems of care into PSH, transferring from one supportive housing program to another, and other PSH topics related to Westchester County’s Coordinated Entry system.
Rapid Re-Housing Coordinated Entry Referral Conference (RRH-CERC)
The RRH CERC works to standardize and streamline the RRH processes by crafting and implementing strategies related to Coordinated Entry such as; the prioritization and matching of participants, connecting participants with RRH programs, supporting RRH participants working toward improving their income, and other RRH topics related to Westchester County’s Coordinated Entry system.
The purpose of the Self-Sufficiency Committee is to gather vocational and housing providers together to discuss ways to increase the self-sufficiency of formerly homeless individuals/families enrolled in time-limited CoC subsidy projects. These are participants who may have disabilities, but also want to work towards self-sufficiency.
The purpose of the CoC’s Street Homeless Workgroup is to discuss who and where people are living outdoors, in vehicles and in other places not intended for habitation throughout Westchester County. This discussion is aimed at creating better access for street homeless individuals/families into Westchester County’s Coordinated Entry system. Additionally, this workgroup strengthen’s service providers ability to coordinate outreach services and take swift, effective action in emergencies.