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Kicking Off Our Fall Donation Drive!

Since many of our in-person volunteer opportunities have been placed on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re inviting our supporters to team up with their friends, family, and coworkers to participate in a drive to support our essential programs!
With the winter fast approaching, many of our programs serving homeless and low-income individuals and families are working to stock up on supplies needed to keep their clients clothed, warm and fed.
We’re also looking for school supplies for our Community Hub at the T.J. Dulski Center, which will provide daycare and academic support to working families whose children have to attend school remotely.
Please click here for a full list of our donation needs, as well as an option to make a monetary donation.
If you would like to coordinate a drop-off or pick-up, or would like more information, please contact Sarah Maurer, Development Director, at smaurer@urbanctr.org or (716) 893-7222 x232.
Thanks for your ongoing support for our agency and the clients we serve!
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Our 2019 Annual Report

We’re excited to release our 2019 Annual Report to the Community!

Our agency closed out 2019 having served over 19,000 residents of the City of Buffalo’s East Side and surrounding towns through a variety of human service programs – whether they were homeless clients or homeowners in our neighborhoods, students in local schools or senior citizens. That number alone speaks to the tremendous impact of our agency’s diverse programs and the tireless dedication of the staff who report to work here every day. We strive every day, and every year, to fulfill the simple mission of serving individuals and families in need.

Here are just SOME of our programs’ 2019 accomplishments:

  • 62 Homes Weatherized – Saving residents money on their utility bills by making their homes energy efficient
  • 30 Homes Repaired – Helping homeowners in Fillmore and Lovejoy Districts make health safety repairs to their homes
  • 111 Homeless Clients Housed by Street Outreach – Connecting individuals living on the street with safe housing and resources to improve their quality of life
  • 834 Children Served – Supporting youth development through after-school, summer, and teen workforce programming
  • 120 Permanent Supportive Housing Placements – Helping homeless clients secure safe, long-term housing through MUC sites and our local landlord partners
  • 995 Senior Citizens Supported – Providing elderly clients with resources to help them stay in their homes and out of assisted living
  • 619 People Given Shelter – Providing homeless women and children a safe place to stay in our Hope House emergency shelter
  • 10,344 Meals Served – Offering daily hot meals at our Urban Diner in partnership with Friends of Night People

Click here to see the full report.

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MUC Homeless Outreach Team In the News

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.

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Employment Opportunity: Housing First Case Manager

Now Hiring: Housing First Case Manager

Job Description: The Housing First Case Manager will perform street outreach to engage with the chronically homeless to screen for program. They will perform thorough assessments of all clients including social history, number of past hospitalizations, treatment histories for mental illness and chemical addictions), homeless history and homeless preferences (where did they live, what services did they utilize while homeless), and a detailed housing history.

Click the link above for full listing. Please submit cover letter, resume and one-page writing sample to our Director of Permanent Supportive Housing, Kadie Skulski, at kskulski@urbanctr.org.

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Employment Opportunity: Housing First Case Manager

Now Hiring: Housing First Case Manager

Job Description: The Housing First Case Manager will perform street outreach to engage with the chronically homeless to screen for program. They will perform thorough assessments of all clients including social history, number of past hospitalizations, treatment histories for mental illness and chemical addictions), homeless history and homeless preferences (where did they live, what services did they utilize while homeless), and a detailed housing history.

Click the link above for full listing. Please submit cover letter and resume to Christal Guthrie at cguthrie@urbanctr.org.

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Employment Opportunity: Homeless Outreach Case Manager

Now Hiring: Homeless Outreach Case Manager

Job Description: The Homeless Outreach Case Manager is a field position that has the primary responsibility of successful engagement of street homelessness and chronically homeless individuals in the City of Buffalo, assisting them with basic needs followed by housing.

Click the link above for full listing.

Please submit cover letter and resume to Skylar Diamond at sdiamond@urbanctr.org

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Employment Opportunity: Homeless Outreach Case Manager

Now Hiring: Homeless Outreach Case Manager

Job Description: The Homeless Outreach Case Manager is a field position that has the primary responsibility of successful engagement of street homelessness and chronically homeless individuals in the City of Buffalo, assisting them with basic needs followed by housing.

Click the link above for full listing.

Please submit cover letter and resume to Skylar Diamond at sdiamond@urbanctr.org

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Our Impact: By the Numbers

We’re proud to share what our programs and staff have accomplished in the past year. Thanks to our funders, community partners and supporters for helping us do this work!

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Support the Hope Runners Team!

Our dear friend, musician, and longtime supporter, Harvey Brice, will once again be channeling one of his hobbies into a fundraising effort for the Matt Urban Center! Last year, Harvey ran a half marathon and with the help of friends and family, raised over $1500 for our agency’s homeless outreach efforts.

This year, Harvey is adding some manpower and has launched the Penny Lane Cafe Hope Runners. This team has entered to participate in the Buffalo Marathon on May 26, 2019 with the goal of raising $3,000 to support our programs via CrowdRise.

The team will kick off its fundraising efforts with a launch event on Sunday, April 14 from 12:00-3:00pm at Penny Lane Café in Clarence. The event will feature food and cash bar, speakers, basket raffle, marathon trivia quiz, sign-up table and T-shirt sales. The team is also offering any affiliated businesses and associations the opportunity to set up a table at the event to enlist members, sell product or simply speak and share information. Click here to see the event page on Facebook.

The fundraiser event is being sponsored by Anne Valby and the Penny Lane Café. StrideLive, a BETA running application for IOS, will be supplying team members technology for their training and safety and communication features on the day of the race.

Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more updates on how you can support the Hope Runners!