Downtown Alliance Surpasses 100 Placements through its Homeless Outreach Services in 2023

 The Downtown Alliance, along with Trinity Church Wall Street and Bowery Residents’ Committee (BRC), recently surpassed 100 placements for homeless residents of New York City since the beginning of 2023.

The milestone represents a significant increase in engagement for the homeless outreach services provided by the Alliance. Over the last 5 years, placements have averaged 72 over an entire calendar year.   

No doubt a confluence of factors has led to the increase in placements, including sustained outreach to individuals over months and sometimes years, shifts in the population of the unhoused, or changes in the perception of the supportive services offered. Whatever the cause, the increase in the number of individuals served is a notable accomplishment and a reinforcement of all parties’ dedication to the effort.

“This is an important milestone, and speaks to our success this year in moving vulnerable New Yorkers off the streets and into shelter,” said Downtown Alliance President Jessica Lappin. “We are proud to have helped these men and women obtain the services they need and greatly appreciate the help of our partners at Trinity Church and the Bowery Residents’ Committee.”

Since 2009, Trinity Church and BRC have worked in partnership with the Downtown Alliance to serve the unhoused in Lower Manhattan and to supplement work of the city’s Department of Homeless Services. Trinity Church provides support by supplying one-half of the yearly funding for BRC to conduct outreach, advocacy and other services to unhoused individuals throughout the Downtown Alliance’s boundaries.

These services include stabilization beds, public and private shelters, drop-in centers and hospital care. The program has generated positive results with hundreds of individuals placed into homes. These placements have taken homeless individuals from the streets and subways into needed services that have helped reclaim their lives and achieve their potential.  

“At Trinity Church, we are committed to helping those in need – particularly those who are food insecure or unhoused in our own backyard,” said the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, Rector of Trinity Church Wall Street. “BRC and Downtown Alliance are doing wonderful work by reaching and advocating for our housing insecure neighbors and securing housing placements. There is great need, and by working together we can show what a better future looks like for everyone in our community.”

BRC has worked effectively for over 50 years to help individuals break the cycle of homelessness in their lives. BRC has been providing homeless outreach services in Manhattan continuously since 1981 and is currently the largest provider of homeless outreach throughout the streets and transit system in New York City.

“We are proud of the caring and effective work BRC’s Outreach Teams have done in serving vulnerable New Yorkers in partnership with the Downtown Alliance. The team has done an exceptional job building trust and relationships with clients in this community, helping to guide them towards housing. Local partnerships that are flexible, like that of BRC and the Downtown Alliance, allow providers and clients to truly build trust; and the outcomes speak for themselves,” said Muzzy Rosenblatt, President and CEO of BRC.