Courtesy of Burger International Photography

January 22, 2013

West End is excited to announce that we have acquired property in the Jerome Park neighborhood of the Bronx where we will build and operate our second permanent supportive housing residence for formerly homeless LGBT young adults, True Colors Bronx!

ABSTRACT: According to some surveys, up to forty percent of the nation’s homeless youth are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Many have run away from foster care, where they were abused or felt ostracized; others were rejected by their families.

Aviv describes the experiences of several gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender homeless young people (Samantha, Ryan, Christina and others) as they try to survive in the shelters and on the streets, and struggle to plan for the future, applying for jobs and trying to secure subsidized housing.

Read more >

A big thanks to everyone who helped make West End’s Annual Fundraising Campaign a success – we exceeded our goal, raising $26,485, which will help us continue to develop and provide the safe and secure permanent and transitional housing along with the comprehensive services that the most vulnerable New Yorkers need to thrive.

We’re very happy to announce that in order to more accurately reflect all of our current and future services and sites West End Intergenerational Residence HDFC, Inc. is now West End Residences HDFC, Inc. Please note that we can now be found on the web at www.westendres.org.

April 18, 2012

Please join us for
West End’s Night at the
Casino Fundraising Gala

Honoring
William Traylor,
President, Richman Housing Resources LLC
and
Lois Uttley,
President, Public Health Association of New York City

Tuesday, May 8, 2012
6:00-9:30PM
Manhattan Penthouse
80 Fifth Avenue

You may view ticket and sponsorship opportunities here.

Tickets are available online from Brown Paper Tickets.

For more information and to find out about additional sponsorship opportunities, please contact Autumn Hurst, Development & Planning Coordinator at 212-873-6300 x500 or ahurst@intergenerational.org .

West End Intergenerational Residence (WIR) is a unique mixed-age housing facility catering to three generations. Since opening our doors in 1989, our creative, flexible services and dedicated staff have helped thousands of young families secure housing stability and provided a permanent, affordable home with supportive services to low-income older adults.

WIR provides temporary housing with support services to 54 homeless young mothers aged 18-24, who are pregnant or with one or two children aged 7 and younger. All families are referred by the New York City Department of Homeless Services.

The homeless mothers we serve are the youngest heads of household in the shelter system.  In addition to suffering the trauma of homelessness, roughly two-thirds of these women are also survivors of domestic violence. West End provides these women more than just temporary shelter.  During their stay at West End, young mothers receive comprehensive educational, vocational, life skills and child development programming. Our goal is to help women become self-sufficient by giving them the tools and support they need to continue their education, find employment, live independently and break the cycle of violence for themselves and their children.  For the children, we have on-site childcare that not only provides a safe, happy learning environment, but also allows their mothers to participate in programming, work and find permanent housing.  We also house an on-site health clinic.

Additionally, WIR is a permanent home to 40 single low-income adults aged 55 years and older who are capable of independent living, are free of alcohol/drug dependence and are without sever psychiatric disorders. Applicants may be referred by the New York City Department of Homeless Services or Community Based Organizations. For these residents, we provide a welcoming and stable permanent home, with a room of their own and the on-site services they need to remain healthy and independent.

Download a PDF of our brochure.

Opened in September 2011, TCR provides young, formerly homeless LGBT individuals aged 18-24 upon admission, a safe, stable and supportive environment in which they can rebuild their lives. Residents are responsible for paying affordable rent based on their income. TCR houses 30 studio apartments, each equipped with a kitchen and bathroom. Residents also have access to shared indoor and outdoor community space, a computer lounge, a small library, and laundry facilities.

Residents receive case management and ongoing assistance with every aspect of independent living as well as obtaining employment best suited to their individual interests and skills. Comprehensive support services, available on a purely voluntary basis and tailored to each individual, include: benefits and entitlement advocacy, counseling, HIV/AIDS counseling and education, medication management, job readiness and placement assistance and help with such practical details as cooking, money management, health issues and other independent living skills.  A range of additional services, including GED classes and healthcare, are available through linkages with other nonprofit agencies.

Residents are referred to TCR by the New York City Department of Homeless Services, Department of Youth and Community Development, and local community-based organizations.

View a video, produced by TCR funder and opening day sponsor Citi Community Capital:

Photos by Timothy Lee Photographers

September 2011

As many of you may have seen in recent press, we are very excited to officially announce that construction on West End’s True Colors Residence, the first permanent housing with support services for LGBT young adults with a history of homelessness, is complete and that residents began moving in on September 1st! On September 9th, we were very happy to host an opening ceremony and ribbon cutting at which we are able to share the completed Residence with all those who made it possible. You can read the official press release here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/pr2011/pr-09-09-11.shtml

True Colors Residence is now in the lease-up phase and we expect that all 30 residents will be moved in by November. The fact that we are already forming a wait list illustrates the great need for permanent housing options for the vulnerable LGBT youth homeless population. We simply cannot thank all those who helped make the True Colors Residence possible enough. Your dedication and support have truly been (and continue to be) invaluable.