Strycker's Bay saves woman from homelessness

With the high cost of living, unemployment, and shortage of affordable housing, many people in New York City face the threat of being evicted and losing their homes on a daily basis. Thousands of people are living in New York’s adult and family homeless shelter systems.
On August 14, Strycker’s Bay received a phone call from a distraught young lady who was evicted from her apartment and currently living out of her cart. Immediately we urged her to come into our office. As we patiently listened to her story, it was quite evident that she was upset, so we reassured her that we deal with these situations on a daily basis, and have encountered many situations as grave as hers.
In her thank you letter to Strycker’s she said “I appreciate that you never made false promises or guaranteed results, but feeling like she saw me as a REAL person going through a difficult situation also gave me hope; hope that if there were a solution, I was in a place that would make a genuine effort to find it.
Strycker’s Bay’s approached to dealing with urgent matters such as the one we describe here, is to manage each crisis as if it were our own. The staff is uniquely qualified to do this because they too have faced issues related to tenant’s rights, housing affordability and homelessness. In addition to our approach, staff are trained to navigate the court system and access emergency funds designated for people facing homelessness.
After collecting all of the necessary paperwork, and documents, we immediately began working on her case. We spent countless numbers of hours advocating on her behalf, when faced with obstacles we pressed on. Initiaelly her “One Shot Deal” application submitted to NYC’s Department of Social Services for emergency rent payment assistance was denied, however, we continued to encourage and advocate on her behalf. With diligence and perseverance, we were able to get her “One Shot Deal” application approved.
Through the working relationships that we have with other organizations, within a week we were able to secure funds needed to restore her into her apartment. The client expressed her gratitude through heart-felt words --- “I’m sure there are other agencies that provide similar services, but this organization is essential to the health of New York, you really are the difference between hope and homelessness. The Strycker’s Bay difference is in your diligence, compassion, and commitment to getting results.”

For more information on Stryckers Bay programs, contact
Kelley Williams
Executive Director
61 W 87th Street –Basement
New York, NY 10024
info@stryckersbay.org
212-874-7272