FOOD FIRST is
Committed to enhancing the quality of life In New York City
Food First' was organized in 1990 and incorporated in 1991 as a charitable not-for-profit providing goods and services to the poor locally and abroad. Our agency is a 501(c) non-
profit with extensive experience serving homeless persons, families, children, HIV +
persons, victims of domestic violence, another economically disadvantaged segments of the population.
The various programs operated by Food First over the years include:
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1. The Family Project, an emergency 24 hr. shelter for 74 women and
children who are victims of domestic violence in Clinton Hills section
of Brooklyn. This shelter was licensed by the New York State
Department of Social Services under Part 452. In addition to safe and
secured apartments, residents receive counseling and advocacy
services including case management, legal advocacy, law
enforcement, child care, family counseling, recreation, nutritional
counseling, parenting skills classes, vocational counseling, and job
readiness training, housing assessments and placements and
medical/mental health services by referral to Woodhull Hospital. We
operate a state-wide toll-free hotline for our shelters which are manned all day year round.
2. Innovative 200 - unit from 1993 to 2003, models of scattered site housing and
supportive services for persons with AIDS and their families in Brooklyn and the Bronx. All residents are referred from the NYC Division of AIDS Services and NYC hospitals, SROs, shelters and chest clinics. Those referred are either homeless or inappropriately housed. To enable these persons to adjust to the challenges of failing health and care in a new
environment, we provide them with fully furnished apartment units and a host of supportive services including case management, legal and financial advocacy, substance abuse
counseling, detoxification, acupuncture, nutritional counseling, bereavement counseling, mental health services, permanency planning, placement of surviving family members
and/or children in permanent housing.
3. Our Food and Pantry programs have the capacity to serve 52,000 congregate and
home delivered meals yearly to the homeless and working poor in downtown Brooklyn and the South Bronx. This program is funded by the United Way (FEMA program), AIDS
Institute, NYC Division of AIDS Services, NYC Department of Health and in-kind
contributions from City Harvest and Food for Survival Food Bank. Staff deliver meals to homebound persons With AIDS and two congregate meals (brunch and dinner) are served daily for program participants and the homeless who are able to attend our programs.
Weekly pantry bags are also distributed as needed. These pantry bags consist of an
assortment of canned foods, produce, pastries, and other non-perishable items, enough to last a family of three for 3 days.
The name Food First is derived from a book written by Frances Lappe and Joseph Collins in the 1970s which challenges the myth of scarce resources and compels visionaries to empower the underpriviledge to reallocate these resources
4. Tuberculosis Prevention - Our agency monitored 60 persons
undergoing TB prophylaxis in Brooklyn between 1995 and 2003. Our target population for this program are homeless or inappropriately
housed persons who have completed inpatient anti-TB hospital care or test PPD positive/anergic. This program strives to arrest the spread of tuberculosis among homeless populations or persons with
compromised immune systems.
5, Conover House is a 46,500 sq. ft. building with a 50,000 sq. ft. lot
comprising 36 units of supportive housing in the Red Hook section of South Brooklyn. This project involves the acquisition and rehabilitation of the old PS 30 in Red Hook,
Brooklyn to provide local seniors (8), families with one member who is HIV + (16), and other doubled up/inappropriately housed local families (12) with housing, health and day care services. The Community Health Clinic will be located on the ground floor covering approximately 4,000 sq. ft. The clinic is designed to serve the community at large as well as residents of the facility. The daycare center will service tenants' children as well as children from the Red Hook community. The center will accommodate 30 children from the Red Hook community. The center will accommodate 30 children daily and another 35 in our after school component.
6. 80 low income housing units homeless persons and families including survivors of
domestic violence seeking permanent housing after residing in an-emergency shelter for up to 90 days and surviving family members of an expired person with AIDS would qualify for permanent housing at this supportive residence. Each family is provided an apartment and on-site aftercare services. In addition to on-Site services, we offer linkages to other community services and agencies to help residents acquire the resources and skiffs
required to resume their lives.
7. New Start, 28 units of scattered site apartments for families affected by
AIDS/HIV funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) for residents of Brooklyn and the Bronx. Those
referred are either homeless or inappropriately housed families who are
provided with fully furnished apartment units and a host of supportive
services including case management, legal and financial advocacy,
substance abuse counseling, detoxification, acupuncture, nutritional
counseling, bereavement counseling, mental health services, permanency planning, placement of surviving family members and/or children in permanent housing.
8. Conover DayCare was located in the ground floor of Conover House is designed to provide affordable yet reliable day care services for the community and residents of the facility. We have a capacity to serve 30 infants and toddlers on a daily bases. Children receive one on one supervision by a team of experienced board certified teachers and child care professionals. We serve (3) nutritous meals per day and are sponsors of New York State Department of Health, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
Food First, Inc. was a private voluntary agency (PVO) with US Agency for international
Development (AID) and is currently working with three African countries through our AIDS PACT program for the provision of pre and post test counseling, advocacy for services,
counseling and alternative treatment modalities for PVVAs. Food First is the first agency to place PWAs with TB in the CPPP program initiative of the NYS DOH AIDS Institute.
Food First is a member of the National Alliance to
end Homelessness, NY AIDS Coalition, National Housing Conference, Nonprofit
Coordinating Committee and also work with several other AIDS and social
service providers. We are a member of the Domestic Violence Service
Providers' network. We are a recepient of the 1995 US Dept of Housing and
Urban Devevelopment (HUD) award for Homeless continuum of care. We also work
closely with the New York State Office of Domestic Violence Prevention, NYS
Department of Social Services-Office of Program Planning and Development, NYC
HRA's Survivors Emergency Assistance Program. We participate in the HIV Care
Network of Brooklyn and Bronx countries, New York AIDS Coalition, NYC
Division of
Our shelter was open 24 hrs @ day and
services to residents are on-going including after- care as dictated by the
family's service plan. Our services to persons with AIDS is open for
supportive social services 6 days @ week (Mon-Sat) from 9:00am thru 9:00pm
daily. We provide intensive case management and other services including
24-hr crisis intervention service to all our clients. We do not close for
more than 1 day, including holidays, in order to be able to provide timely
responses to the often varying lives of our clients.
Our Bronx program was multi-cultural in counseling,
services, promotional literature and staffing. Our Brooklyn program has the
capacity to serve English, Spanish, Creole, French, and some African
populations. Our program staff are U.S. born or immigrants from foreign
nations who combine a rich cultural diversity, recovery experiences, diverse
sexual orientations, and are multilingual.