Tag: Buffalo NY

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Hope Center Food Pantry Re-Opening 8/4

We’re excited to be kicking off the month of August by re-opening our Food Pantry at the Matt Urban Hope Center!

The pantry will re-open on Tuesday, August 4 and will be open weekly on Tuesdays from 11:30AM to 3:30PM.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, pantry clients will be served outside in front of the main entrance at 385 Paderewski. Clients will be asked to provide their name, address and phone number. Bags will be pre-packed, so client choice of some items may be limited.

Please contact Cherise Carson, Hope Center Coordinator, at 716-893-7222 x329 for more information.

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Employment Opportunity: Summer Term AmeriCorps Member

Now Hiring: AmeriCorps Service Member (Summer)

Job Description: The Asset Management AmeriCorps Service Member will work with housing staff to alleviate the pressure caused by COVID. Safe and affordable housing is more important than ever and the service member’s role in assisting with property management and asset management activities is essential as the Housing & Community development Department and the Matt Urban Center continue their essential work for the community.

Click the link above for full listing. Please submit cover letter and resume to Maya Shermer, Housing Director, at mshermer@urbanctr.org.

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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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Employment Opportunity: Housing First Case Manager

Now Hiring: Housing First Case Manager (Two Openings Available)

Job Description: The Housing First case managers will provide support to homeless clients by evaluating their social history, number of past hospitalizations, treatment histories for mental illness and chemical addictions, homeless history and homeless preferences, a detailed housing history, and independent living skills. The case managers will work with clients to create an Independent Services Plan and work toward attaining their goals.  Staff must understand the Housing First model with inclusion of the definition of chronically homeless and how to document/verify.

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

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Employment Opportunity: Chief Community Development Officer

Now Hiring: Chief Community Development Officer

Job Description: The Chief Community Development Officer (CCDO) will serve as a critical member of the senior leadership management team of the Matt Urban Center. The CCDO is responsible for the management of the properties and housing development projects that are owned and/or managed by the agency. The CCDO ensures compliance with program delivery requirements, including owner-occupied housing rehab, homebuyer activities, weatherization, rental housing rehab and development, asset management and affordable housing finance.

Click the link above for full listing. Please submit cover letter and resume to our Chief Operations Officer, Karen Baer, at kbaer@urbanctr.org.

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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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Permanent Supportive Housing Hosts Music and Mocktails Party

Our permanent supportive housing team recently created a positive social hour for their clients called “Music and Mocktails.” The event featured live music by local singer and musician Brian Beaudry, who is a member of several local bands including “Nerds Gone Wild.” Brian performs live music sets for nursing homes and residential sites all over Western New York.

Our clients from Housing First, Hope Gardens and HELP Buffalo attended the first Music and Mocktails event on December 4, 2019. They enjoyed appetizers, “mock tails”, and lots of singing and dancing. We’re looking forward to hosting more of these social events in the near future!

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Santas of Swig 2019 at Buffalo Iron Works

 

Join us for our final and most festive fundraiser of 2019!

The Sultans of Swig home brewers club will once again host the Santas of Swig fundraiser for the Matt Urban Hope Center on Saturday, December 7, 2019 from 1:00-4:00PM at Buffalo Iron Works.  Stop by to sample some delicious locally made homebrews and cast your vote for your favorite one! There will also be basket raffles and a toy collection for children staying at the Hope House shelter.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. To buy online, please follow this link.

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Join Us For Trunk or Treat!

The arrival of fall weather means its almost time for our annual Halloween themed community event: Trunk or Treat!
This year’s event will take place on Tuesday, October 29 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Stop by the Hope Center at 385 Paderewski Drive with your children to enjoy a safe, family friendly event. We’ll have lots of fun activities for youth and families outside the Hope Center, trick-or-treating in the Central Terminal parking lot, and plenty of cider and donuts to enjoy!
If you would like to register your car to hand out candy, please contact Danyel Sease at (716) 893-7222 x403 or dsease@urbanctr.org. If you are interested in donating candy, cider or donuts for the event, or would simply like more information, please contact Sarah Maurer at (716) 893-7222 x232 or smaurer@urbanctr.org.
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Calling on City of Good Neighbors to Give Hope on #GivingTuesday

With the harsh winter season looming and an ever-growing need for supplies to serve Buffalo’s most vulnerable residents, the Matt Urban Center is participating in #GivingTuesday – a global day of giving coming on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The Matt Urban Center is a community based organization that has anchored the Broadway Fillmore neighborhood for over 40 years with the mission of providing programs that revitalize neighborhoods, serve families and change lives. The agency serves over 20,000 clients annually, from youth to seniors and homeless individuals to homeowners.

For the past 10 years, the agency’s Hope Center has been a one-stop resource center for low-income residents to receive assistance with everything from housing assistance to benefits screening, financial wellness education, computer classes, job training, clothing donations, and personal essentials and food pantries. The Matt Urban Hope Center is also home to the Homeless Outreach team, which works tirelessly to connect homeless individuals living on the street with housing, food, clothing and healthcare. This team works in tandem with the agency’s permanent supportive housing team, which partners with local landlords to secure a safe home for our clients, and our Hope House shelter, which provides temporary haven for women and children experiencing homelessness.

The Matt Urban Center’s staff has helped countless individuals to find stable, secure housing and provide them the additional supports to get back on their feet. One client was a homeless veteran suffering from mental illness and addiction issues, who had been in and out of incarceration. Our team helped him to find a safe place to stay and wraparound case management to help him tackle his health hurdles and maintain his housing.

Another client was a mother of two who was struggling with an autoimmune disease, an abusive relationship, and loss of employment. She arrived at our Hope House shelter feeling completely defeated, but our staff quickly got her on the path to searching for housing and a primary care physician, as well as securing clothing and school materials for her daughter. The team helped her find an apartment and the client was able to enroll in a Medical Coding Program to eventually find a job and get back on her feet.

In order to continue fighting for Buffalo’s most underserved, our agency relies on the generosity of local donors to continue our programs. This #GivingTuesday, we’re calling on our City of Good Neighbors to help us care for those most in need by making a donation to the Matt Urban Center. Monetary donations can be made online or via mail to Matt Urban Center, 1081 Broadway, Buffalo, NY 14212. A link to our donation page can be found at http://urbanctr.org/contact-us/donate-to-muc/.

Our Hope Services team also welcomes donations of clothing and personal essentials for their homeless clients. A donation wish list can be found at http://urbanctr.org/hope-services/donation-requests/.

For more information on giving to the Matt Urban Center on #GivingTuesday, contact Sarah Maurer, Development Coordinator, at (716) 893-7222 x232 or smaurer@urbanctr.org.

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The Lt. Col. Matt Urban Human Services Center of WNY is a multi-purpose community center located on the East Side of Buffalo. It is our mission to provide programs that revitalize neighborhoods, serve families, and change lives.

Learn more at www.urbanctr.org.

 

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