WRO has announced the release of its report on three years of "testing" investigations of housing discrimination in Westchester and the rest of the Lower Hudson Valley. From December 2015 through December 2018, WRO conducted approximately 500 tests across many protected classes, and saw an overall 33% rate of violative or unequal.

This testing project was funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a Private Enforcement Initiative grant under its Fair Housing Initiative Program.

Behavioral Health-focused Outreach and Engagement

Thursday, April 25, 2019

3:30-5:00 p.m. (ET)

This is the first webinar of a three-part Spotlight Series, Taking Behavioral Health Care to the Streets. This series will discuss how to provide behavioral health care in unsheltered environments. In this webinar, you will learn about the need for behavioral health-focused outreach and engagement, as well as how to implement outreach and engagement strategies and build relationships with clients.

The following panelists will share their expertise in behavioral health and homelessness:

  • Barbara DiPietro, PhD, Senior Director of Policy, National Health Care for the Homeless Council and Health Care for the Homeless of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Brian Bickford, MA, LMHC, Central Massachusetts PATH Team Leader, Eliot Community Human Services, Worcester, Massachusetts 

  • Amanda Buccina, RN, Street Outreach RN, Sacramento, California

  • Tracey Knickerbocker, BA, Mobile Crisis Support Team Peer Navigator, TLCS/Hope Cooperative, Sacramento, California

Participants in the webinar on April 25 will learn how to:

  • provide person-centered, behavioral health-focused outreach in encampments with an emphasis on building trust and meaningful relationships; 

  • engage unsheltered people with serious mental illness through multi-disciplinary teams, peer specialists, and trauma-informed care; and

  • incorporate behavioral health considerations into organized efforts to support individuals in encampments.


To Register, Click Here

Please save the dates for future webinars in this series:

  • Webinar 2: Building a Foundation on the Streets--Assessing Behavioral Health Needs in Encampments on Thursday, May 30, 2019, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. (ET)

  • Webinar 3: Behavioral Health Care Outside of the Box--Providing Services and Treatment to Unsheltered Persons on Thursday, June 27, 2019, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Addiction Services 101:
What Is Your Agency’s Overdose Plan?


Free Webinar
Wednesday, April 17, 1:30 – 2:30 Eastern Time

Click Here to Register


This free webinar will raise awareness about risk factors that contribute to overdose death, and explore the program policies and practices that can address them. It will highlight administrative tools and engagement techniques that can help supportive housing programs prevent and respond to drug overdose. The webinar will describe harm reduction strategies, like carrying naloxone (Narcan) to reverse an opioid overdose. 

Objectives: 
1. Identify risk factors for drug overdose that are common among people engaged in supportive housing programs 
2. Explain the role of naloxone in reversing opioid overdoses and describe options for integration of naloxone access into supportive housing programs 
3. Explore topics that case managers can discuss with supportive housing participants to help them develop a plan to prevent or respond to a drug overdose 

Target audience: 
• Program administrators 
• Supportive housing case managers and supervisors 
• Community health workers 
• Outreach workers 
• Healthcare providers

Safety Planning with Women Experiencing Homelessness Webinar

The National Health Care for the Homeless Council will be presenting a webinar on March 27, 2019 exploring the importance of safety planning and how violence affects the lives of women without homes. Learn how you can improve services for women experiencing homelessness through trauma-informed, quality care.

Women and families are the fastest-growing segments of the American homeless population. Whether on the streets, doubled-up, or temporarily sheltered, women without homes face complex challenges such as increased risk of sexual assault, lack of access to preventive and prenatal care, and all-too-prevalent trauma.

This webinar is a unique opportunity to gain valuable insight into the tools and resources needed to provide effective and trauma-informed assistance to women and families in the homeless population.

Title: Safety Planning with Women Experiencing Homelessness
Date: March 27, 2019
Time: 12:45 PM EDT 
Click Here to Register

Westchester County's Federal Homeless Funding Increases By More Than $900,000 for 2019

Westchester County has secured an increase in federal funding for addressing homelessness through the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. The funds, allocated through Westchester County’s Departments of Social Services (DSS), Community Mental Health (DCMH) and other municipal partners, will serve to enhance coordination and access for those lacking housing, ultimately reducing the amount of time individuals and families spend without permanent shelter.

For the complete article - CLICK HERE

Westchester CoC’s 2019 Homeless Point-In-Time (PIT) Count

Training for the Westchester County CoC Unsheltered Point-In-Time Count. January 24th, 2019

Training for the Westchester County CoC Unsheltered Point-In-Time Count. January 24th, 2019

Every year the Westchester CoC conducts a HUD-mandated census of our homeless population. This includes a visual assessment of people living unsheltered in Westchester County, a census of all shelter and transitional housing programs, and a survey of people experiencing homelessness.  We combine these sources to produce a Point-In-Time count report for HUD.  

The Point-in-Time count helps to ensure Westchester County has access to federal funds that are essential for addressing homelessness and housing instability in our community. This year, the Westchester CoC Point-In-Time count took place on January 24th. Thank you to all of this year’s participants for contributing to a successful count! 

Click image to access WRO’s 2018 Senior Apartment Guide.

Click image to access WRO’s 2018 Senior Apartment Guide.

Are you or someone you know a senior citizen looking for senior housing assistance?

Westchester Residential Opportunities (WRO) offers information on accessing senior housing to residents of Westchester County who are age sixty (60) and over. WRO’s Senior Housing Program provides limited counseling services in either English or Spanish. WRO is presently only providing senior housing assistance on Mondays during business hours. For more information please visit the web link below.

WRO Senior Housing Assistance Webpage

VolunteerNY’s 9th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

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The Westchester County Continuum of Care (CoC) would like to send a big thank you to all of those who participated in VolunteerNY’s MLK Day of Service at Iona College this past Saturday.

Over 100 care packages were assembled for distribution to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness during Westchester County’s annual HUD Point-In-Time Count on January 24th, 2019.

Care packages included: a pair of winter gloves, a winter hat, water, granola bar, lip balm, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and a hand-written note of encouragement.

To learn more about VolunteerNY - CLICK HERE

Fair Housing Training: Meeting the needs of the LGBTQ Population

Join WRO & the CoC for a training on fair housing practices to provide equal access to housing and protect the people we serve from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

This training is designed for the staff of our Housing Providers as well as Housing Specialists & Coordinated Entry Assessors in our shelter system who must be educated on tenant rights in Westchester County. Doors will open at 9:30am and the program will begin at 10am.

 Please note: Our venue for this session will be the Grinton I. Will Branch of the Yonkers Public Library System. There will be FREE PARKING. Food and beverages will be prohibited.

Wednesday, February 6, 2018
10:00am-12:00pm
Doors will open at 9:30am 
Yonkers Public Library
Grinton I. Will Branch
1500 Central Park Avenue
Yonkers NY 10710