Lt. Col. Matt Urban Human Services Center of WNY
1081 Broadway Buffalo, NY 14212 | (716) 893-7222 | Fax (716) 893-3279 | info@urbanctr.org
Our permanent supportive housing department recently celebrated Black History Month with an event at Hope Gardens! Clients and staff made decorations, sang, read poetry, played trivia, enjoyed a spoken word performance by Monique Murphy, and an African drums performance by Marvin Harris. Our Hope Gardens cook made an amazing traditional African soul food dinner, too!
The Matt Urban Hope Center will host a Black History Month celebration event, featuring a cultural meal and a presentation with facts about famous African American men and women and their accomplishments. The event will take place on Thursday, February 20 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Urban Diner at 385 Paderewski Drive. For more information, contact Cherise Carson at (716) 893-7222 x329 or ccarson@urbanctr.org.
Join the Matt Urban Center and BlueCross BlueShield of WNY for a community resource event featuring a variety of vendors and a backpack giveaway for youth. Event runs from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Matt Urban Hope Center, 385 Paderewski Drive. For more information, contact Cherise Carson at (716) 893-7222 x329 or ccarson@urbanctr.org.
Job Description: The Housing First Case Manager will be tasked with assisting homeless clients in securing safe housing, performing thorough assessments of client’s history, and providing linkages to medical and community supports.
Click the link above for full listing. Please submit cover letter and resume to our Director of Permanent Supportive Housing, Kadie Skulski, at kskulski@urbanctr.org.
The City of Buffalo will host a community meeting to seek input from residents on their five-year consolidated plan and their annual action plan. The meeting will take place at the Matt Urban Center’s main building at 1081 Broadway, third floor on February 11 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Those unable to attend this meeting can give input at pop-up events taking place on February 4 at the Broadway Market (10:30-11:30 a.m.) and the Northland Workforce Training Center (12:00-1:00 p.m.).
For more information, visit the City of Buffalo Strategic Planning website here.
We’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to our friends at the Amazon.com BUF5 site for hosting an employee-driven winter clothing drive on our behalf. They dropped off their donations to our Hope Center last Friday, and the results were amazing: 50 winter hats, 50 pairs of new underwear, 35 pairs of gloves, 9 winter coats, 3 pairs of winter boots, 52 pairs of socks, and 3 boxes of women’s and kid’s winter clothing!
Thank you to the awesome crew at Amazon for partnering with us and helping keep our clients warm this winter!
Our hardworking Homeless Outreach team’s efforts earned some well-deserved media recognition this month!
On January 22, Mayor Byron Brown and officials from Norstar Development announced that demolition would commence on the long vacant Shoreline Apartments complex on Niagara Street. Our Homeless Outreach team was tasked with working with local police to ensure the safety of individuals who might be staying in these buildings and getting them connected to the services they need. They began sweeps prior to demolition starting, and will continue them weekly until the process is completed this summer. Read the full story here.
On January 28, The Buffalo News commemorated the one-year anniversary of Larry Bierl’s death due to exposure with an article summarizing his impact on the Williamsville community, the pervasiveness of homelessness throughout our region (not just in the city), and how agencies like the Matt Urban Center and our partners are providing support to those living on the streets. The article quoted our Homeless Outreach Team lead, Skylar Diamond, in discussing local agencies’ response to Mr. Bierl’s death and how efforts have evolved in the past year. “We’ve definitely started working on positive changes in Larry’s honor,” Diamond said. Read the full story here.
Looking to set and reach some new health goals in 2020? Our neighbors at Jericho Road Community Health Center are hosting a FREE goal setting workshop on Saturday, Jan. 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at their Medically Oriented Gym at 1021 Broadway. Their staff will help you come up with a road map for success with attainable steps to achieve your health and wellness goals. Go check it out and get motivated!
Our friends at Amazon are generously hosting a winter clothing drive to support clients at our Hope Center and Hope House Shelter. They are currently collecting gently used or new winter apparel such as gloves, hats, coats and boots.
Those interested in donating can find dropboxes at the Amazon (BUF5) location at 4201 Walden Avenue in Lancaster, our main headquarters at 1081 Broadway, Buffalo, or our Hope Center at 385 Paderewski Drive, Buffalo.
Donations are being accepted through January 10, 2020!
For those in need of some holiday cheer, stop by the Matt Urban Hope Center at 385 Paderewski Drive on Monday, December 23 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. for our Community Holiday Dinner! We’ll have a lasagna dinner and sugar cookie decorating for children and families. The event is free to attend and all are welcome!
Interested in volunteering at this event? Visit our online sign up for a list of available volunteer slots: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4faea92da1f49-hope
Contact Cherise Carson at (716) 893-7222 x329 or ccarson@urbanctr.org for more information.
