FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katherine Oakes, Housing Works
Phone: 718.408.6574 | Cell: 347.491.0846
Email:K.Oakes@housingworks.org
HOUSING WORKS ANNOUNCES MERGER WITH BAILEY HOUSE, CREATING ONE OF THE LARGEST PROVIDERS OF HIV/AIDS HOUSING, PRIMARY CARE, AND COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES IN NEW YORK CITY.
The nation’s leading HIV/AIDS advocacy and service organization adds Bailey House’s housing resources and behavioral health offerings for low-income New Yorkers with or affected by HIV/AIDS and other chronic health conditions.
This merger will accelerate progress toward ending the AIDS epidemic in New York by 2020 and will create a dynamic, new housing enterprise.
New York, NY (July 12, 2018)– Housing Works, the nation’s leading HIV/AIDS advocacy and service organization with a chain of well-known businesses in New York City, today announces its merger with Bailey House, the nation’s first HIV/AIDS supportive housing provider that also delivers housing and services for marginalized New Yorkers with other chronic and behavioral health conditions.
When completed, the merger will see the creation of a new housing development enterprise, which will retain the Bailey House name. Clients from both organizations will access expanded service offerings, including primary medical care. Housing Works will also extend its Federally Qualified Health Center to include Bailey House’s behavioral health program in East Harlem.
“We’re very excited about merging with Housing Works. As the first organization in the country to address homelessness among people with HIV/AIDS, Bailey House has long recognized that housing is healthcare,” said Daniel W. Tietz, CEO of Bailey House. “This partnership provides us the opportunity to jointly develop new, ground-up supportive and affordable housing under the Bailey House brand. Together, we will help more low-income New Yorkers achieve the best possible health by expanding housing, healthcare, and behavioral health services.”
"The merger will bring renewed focus to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York by 2020,” said Housing Works COO Matthew Bernardo. “With new housing resources and improved access to primary care and mental health services, the combined entity will broaden its non-judgmental, wrap-around care model to more communities in need.”
“Gina Quattrochi was a dynamic and creative force in the response to the AIDS crisis,” said Charles King, co-founder and CEO of Housing Works, speaking about the long-time leader of Bailey House who died in late 2016. “This pairing builds on her legacy of vigorous advocacy on behalf of New Yorkers living with and affected by HIV/AIDS and continues the evolution of the Bailey House mission.”
Added Matt Farber, Chair of the Bailey House Board of Directors, “We are thrilled to team-up with Housing Works to expand and enhance services to some of New York City’s most marginalized communities. We are especially pleased to grow the Bailey House brand by creating new supportive and affordable housing. As Bailey House celebrates its 35thanniversary, we are proud and grateful for the partnership with Housing Works as we together continue as a leading HIV/AIDS supportive housing provider in New York City.”
The annual Bailey House Gala & Auction will remain the centerpiece of ongoing, year-round fundraising activities benefiting Bailey House’s housing programs and related services. The combined organization will benefit from shared finances, centralized billing, and a robust quality improvement and compliance program.
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About Housing Works:Housing Works was founded in 1990 as an outgrowth of the powerful social movement ACT UP. With a long-term commitment to AIDS advocacy, Housing Works has grown into one of the nation’s largest HIV/AIDS service organizations. Serving almost 10,000 clients annually, Housing Works operates four Federally Qualified Health Centers: two in Brooklyn and two in Manhattan. Additionally, Housing Works established New York State’s first harm reduction-based, OASAS-licensed outpatient drug treatment program. Other services include Health Home care management, behavioral health, and syringe exchange programs. A pioneer in the social entrepreneurship movement, Housing Works operates 13 high-end Thrift Shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and a much-loved Bookstore Cafe in Soho. For more information, visit www.housingworks.org
About Bailey House: For 35 years, Bailey House has been a leader in providing housing and essential support services to individuals and families with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses. Founded in 1983, Bailey House organized the first response to homelessness among people with HIV/AIDS and opened the first such congregate residence in the nation. More recently, Bailey House opened and operates a service center in East Harlem offering OMH- and OASAS-licensed behavioral health clinics, Health Home care management, a food pantry, and expanded housing resources to include scatter-site and transitional units for a variety of populations, including U.S. military veterans and young adults, in addition to those with HIV/AIDS. For more information visit www.baileyhouse.org.
*For more information or to request interviews please contact Katherine Oakes at k.oakes@housingworks.orgor by phone at 718.408.6574.