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New Destiny’s 2nd Annual Symposium

Housing Solutions for Survivors of Domestic Violence

Monday, October 30, 2023 • 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

Our 2nd Annual Symposium took place on Monday, October 30th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Engelman Recital Hall – Baruch College in Manhattan.

New Destiny's Second Annual Symposium: Housing Solutions for Survivors of Domestic Violence. Monday, October 30, 2023.

The event included a keynote address and three panel discussions. Kelli Owens, Executive Director of the NYS Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, and Cecile Noel, Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, were among the confirmed speakers.

Registration opened at 8:45 AM. Coffee and light breakfast was served.

Scroll down to see the full program.

Homelessness and Domestic Violence

Close to 105,000 New Yorkers slept in shelters in July 2023, and about a third of them were children. Domestic violence is at the core of the homelessness crisis, especially for women and children. Since 2016, domestic violence has been documented as the main driver of family homelessness in New York City. Evictions remains second.

Access to safe and affordable housing is one of survivors’ biggest, most urgent concerns and it often determines whether they leave their abuser. However, due to the long-lasting impact of power and control dynamics and systemic barriers, attaining and maintaining permanent housing is often extremely difficult. For survivors of color, survivors with a disability, non-citizen survivors, and survivors from marginalized communities, the challenges are even greater due to systemic discrimination and lack of equitable access to resources.

The Symposium

Leading state and local policymakers, nonprofit leaders, and domestic violence survivors engaged in a discussion about innovative and effective housing intervention models.

The goal of our 2nd Annual Symposium was to elevate best practices and continue to build momentum for expanding housing resources available to survivors. In addition to hosting experts in the domestic violence community, the event included visionaries in the larger homelessness field to share their successful housing-based programs and service models.

Q & A portions enabled attendees to join the conversation and discuss their experiences in the field.

The Program
8:45 AM Registration Opens: Coffee and light breakfast served.
9:30 AM Welcoming Remarks: Nicole Branca, Executive Director, New Destiny
9:35 AM Opening Remarks: Vanessa L. Gibson, Bronx Borough President
9:45 AM Keynote Address: Dr. Jodie Roure, Human Rights Advocate, Associate Professor and Project Investigator at John Jay College, and CEO of H-MARIA, Inc.
10:00 AM Addressing the Health Consequences of Domestic Violence: A moderated discussion on the multiple, cumulative impacts of physical and emotional trauma and interventions that promote the long-term wellbeing of survivors and their children.

Moderator: Terri Davis-Merchant, Program Director for the Housing & Homelessness initiative, Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies

Cecile Noel, Commissioner, New York City Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence
Kelli Owens, Executive Director, New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence
10:45 AM Housing Search Success: Best practices in helping New Yorkers in need find safe, affordable permanent housing.

Moderator: John Kimble, Senior Advisor, NYC Fund to End Youth & Family Homelessness

Gina Cappuccitti, Director of Housing Access, New Destiny Housing
Julian Forero, Associate Broker, Oxford Property Group
Stephanie Woodbine, co-Chair, Advisory Council of the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence and Member of New Destiny’s Survivor Voices Project
Tamarata Wague, Program Coordinator- Housing Navigation, Safe Horizon Streetwork- Uptown
11:35 AM Break
11:50 AM Addressing the Trauma: Exploring the support mechanisms needed after finding safe housing, that support the road to healing, financial security, and a future free from violence and housing insecurity.

Moderator: Brenda Tong, Deputy Executive Director, New Destiny Housing

Mary Adams, Associate Executive Director, Mental Health + Wellness, University Settlement
Sabrina Hamm, Director of State Policy and Advocacy, FreeFrom
Shane Cox, Chief Strategy Officer, Anthos|Home
Tanya R., Member of New Destiny’s Survivor Voices Project
12:40 PM Closing Remarks: Daniris Espinal, Survivor and Member of New Destiny Survivor Voices Project
12:55 PM Acknowledgements: Nicole Branca, Executive Director, New Destiny Housing
1:00 PM Event Ends

Curious about our first inaugural symposium? Visit the event page to see the program and learn more. The full recording is posted on YouTube.

Sponsors:

Apple Bank, TD Bank, Bank of America, CSH, Avalon Bay

About New Destiny: New Destiny’s mission is to end the cycle of domestic violence and homelessness for low-income families and individuals by developing and connecting them to safe, permanent, affordable housing and services. Founded in 1994, New Destiny is the only organization in New York City dedicated solely to the solution of permanent housing for survivors. With 9 supportive and affordable housing buildings and two projects in development, New Destiny is the largest provider of supportive housing for homeless domestic violence survivors in New York. Our HousingLink program was the first rapid re-housing program for survivors in New York City. Most recently, New Destiny was selected by the City to provide housing navigation assistance to over 1,000 domestic violence survivors receiving Emergency Housing Vouchers through the federal American Rescue Plan.New Destiny is a co-convener of the Family Homelessness Coalition, and a member of the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD) and Supportive Housing Network of New York.