Dec 12, 2018
Trillium Health Awarded Largest Grant in its History from New York State
NYS ESSHI grant will support 20 housing apartments and supportive services at Union Square in Site 3 for homeless seniors and individuals living with HIV
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK (December 12, 2018) – Trillium Health has received the largest grant award in its history from New York State’s Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI). The ESSHI funds will support a housing program at Union Square in Site 3 that will serve individuals who are chronically homeless and 55 years of age or older, and chronically homeless individuals living with HIV. Trillium Health’s initiative will be conducted in partnership with Home Leasing, the City of Rochester, Lifespan, and the Out Alliance, and is slated to begin in 2020.
Grant funding of $500,000 a year, funded in five-year increments for up to eight terms, has been awarded to Trillium Health for a total investment by New York State of $20 million over 40 years. Trillium Health will apply the ESSHI grant funding to support rent subsidies and the delivery of supportive services to program participants who will reside in 20 apartments at the proposed Union Square on Site 3 of the Inner Loop. By providing holistic support, chronically homeless individuals are better positioned to lead healthier lives independently, increase vocational skills, and establish employment, which equates to lower health care and social support costs overall, along with a reduction in the likelihood of repeated homelessness.
“We are incredibly grateful to Governor Cuomo for this investment in improving the lives of our most vulnerable community members,” said Andrea DeMeo, president and chief executive officer of Trillium Health. “Together with Home Leasing, the City of Rochester, Lifespan, and the Out Alliance, we will help individuals who suffer from chronic homelessness and work to make a positive and enduring impact on our community. At Trillium Health, we believe that housing is health care, and I applaud Governor Cuomo’s office and the City of Rochester for recognizing the need for additional stable housing in our community.”
In addition to rental subsidies, Trillium Health will provide individualized services, and linkages to care and community resources. Support and services will also be provided by community-based organizations such as Lifespan and the Out Alliance. Trillium Health staff, in partnership with Lifespan, will help the program participants rebuild their lives in a stable housing environment. Programming will include financial counseling, behavioral health services, transportation, insurance navigation, and cultural and social enrichment opportunities.
The ESSHI funding depends on the successful development of a mixed-use housing project at Union Square in Site 3 by Trillium Health’s strategic partner, Home Leasing. Home Leasing plans to build a $19.3 million LGBTQ-welcoming mixed-use development that will provide 66 one- and two-bedroom affordable apartments, a pharmaceutical health emporium operated by Trillium Health, and additional space for commercial use. Twenty apartments will be set aside for Trillium Health’s supportive housing programs for chronically homeless individuals from our community. The Out Alliance and Tompkins Realty are important partners in the Union Square development.
“We build communities that improve the lives of our residents. We’re thrilled to partner with Trillium Health in the development of apartments that will become home to individuals who have experienced homelessness and offer support to their health and well-being,” said Nelson Leenhouts, Home Leasing’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
“Trillium Health and Home Leasing are among our community’s most treasured resources, and it’s gratifying to see them form a partnership to bring supportive housing to the Inner Loop East Revitalization Project,” said Mayor Lovely A. Warren. “The award of this grant is a testament to their great work and will allow them to provide much-needed care and assistance to people dealing with challenging circumstances, especially those relating to housing and health care. Their innovative solutions to break the cycle of chronic homelessness in our city are invaluable in our efforts to create more jobs, safer and more vibrant neighborhoods, and better educational opportunities.”
"As a community champion for LGBTQ+ quality of life and access to much-needed services we are encouraged that this resource is being made available to our community. It is collaborations like these that are so powerful in the fight to empower and address the needs of not only the Rochester community but the Rochester Queer community,” said Jeff Myers, Executive Director, Out Alliance.
About Trillium Health
As a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-A-Like community health center, Trillium Health's mission is to promote health equity by providing affordable and extraordinary primary and specialty health care in Rochester, New York, and a nine-county service area. Our comprehensive model, which is LGBTQ-affirming, ensures health care for underserved communities and vulnerable populations, regardless of ability to pay. We offer primary and specialty care, testing, and treatment for HIV, Hepatitis C and STDs, PrEP and PEP, an on-site diagnostic laboratory, community health outreach programming, care management, on-site pharmacy services, harm reduction efforts and more. We operate satellite offices in Bath and Geneva, New York. The Trillium Health family includes The MOCHA Center, community centers for LGBTQ communities of color with locations in Rochester and Buffalo. The MOCHA Center’s goal is to improve the health and wellness of LGBTQ communities of color by linking people to medical care and supportive services. To learn more, visit www.trilliumhealth.org and www.mochacenter.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
About Home Leasing
Rochester-based Home Leasing specializes in the development, construction, and management of high-quality apartment communities. Founded in 2006 by veteran real estate developer and former co-CEO and co-Chairman of Home Properties Nelson Leenhouts, the company is owned and operated by three generations of the Leenhouts Family. Home Leasing today employs over 100 people who provide support to or are directly involved in the day-to-day operations of affordable, mixed-income and market rate residential communities across New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. With its construction company, Home Leasing Construction, Home Leasing builds quality housing which its team of certified property managers and maintenance personnel efficiently oversee. This unique involvement in projects from concept to operations demonstrates its strong commitment to its mission to improve the lives of our residents. Home Leasing Construction offers its’ services to build for others as well. Home Leasing and Home Leasing Construction (collectively “Home Leasing”) became Certified Benefit Corporations (“B Corps”) by the non-profit B Lab in 2017. B Corps are a new type of company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.
About Lifespan
Lifespan provides information, guidance, and services that help older adults take on the challenges and opportunities of longer life.
About Out Alliance
The Out Alliance is a Champion for LBTQ+ Life and Culture. For nearly 50 years, the Alliance has been the voice of activism, education, and advocacy for the Rochester LGBTQ+ community. Through events like Rochester Pride, our nationally renowned education program and everyday interactions with, and in support of our community, it is our mission to create a future where all members of the LGBTQ+ community, at all stages of life, are free to live safely, with stability, and be fully respected.
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