Raising the stakes on homeless space

The Real Deal | January 3, 2019 

To get a handle on the city’s fast-growing homeless population, Mayor de Blasio announced his Turning the Tide initiative in February 2017. The plan seeks to phase out roughly 3,000 cluster-site apartments by 2021, as well as rooms rented in some 80 hotels by 2023, and replace them with 90 new facilities built specifically as shelters. And to meet that goal in time, the city will need to rely heavily on private developers, sources say.

While homeless shelters remain a tough sell to affluent communities, a growing number of for-profit developers are seeing the mutual benefits. Women in Need CEO and former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said the city’s real estate industry has shown “greater interest” in homeless housing since de Blasio’s five-year plan launched.

“The industry and service providers are at the ready to ‘turn the tide’ from plan to reality,” she told TRD. “Now what we need is some cohesion from the city.”

Read More

Holiday Cheer Comes To Bronx Win Shelter Families

Bronx Times | December 28, 2018 

WIN, formerly Women in Need, held its third annual holiday crafting party for residents of a Bronx-based family shelter on Wednesday, December 19.

Read More

Formerly homeless family gets new apartment just in time for Christmas

NY Daily News | December 24, 2018 

Bernarda Saavedra, Erik Martinez and their daughters, Yianni and Idlee, found themselves homeless after a nasty eviction landed them in a Queens Win shelter.

They spent nearly seven months in the shelter, but while they were there Martinez, 25, continued to work and they were able to save some money. A social worker from the shelter helped the family qualify for city housing assistance to help pay rent, while another found them a two-bedroom unit in East Orange.

WIN CEO Christine Quinn said the fact that Martinez kept working was essential to the family getting a place of their own. “Jobs are the key to people getting out of shelters, as well as remaining out of the shelter,” she said.

Read More

When Days Aren’t So Sunny: Sesame Street Takes on Homelessness

The New York Times | December 12, 2018 

The New York Times reported on the launch of Sesame Street’s new homelessness initiative. Lily, a character introduced seven years ago to address child hunger, has returned – this time her family does not have a place to live. Children from Win shelters are featured in Sesame Street’s “Home is…” videos.

Read the Article

Watch Sesame Street’s Home is…[Video] 

Exclusive: De Blasio to convert nearly 500 NYC ‘cluster site’ homeless apartments to affordable housing

NY Daily News | December 4, 2018 

With the exploding number of homeless still hovering at record levels, Mayor de Blasio will announce Tuesday a nearly-done deal to convert 468 shelter apartments into permanent, affordable apartments for the homeless. Known as “cluster-site” apartments, the units are scattered throughout 17 privately-owned buildings in Brooklyn and the Bronx and are expected to provide long-term housing for more than 1,000 homeless New Yorkers, administration officials said.

Christine Quinn, president of the homeless service provider WIN, said the desire to convert the apartments into permanent, affordable housing is “100% well-placed,” but that “the devil is in the details.”

Read More

Volunteers Deliver Thanksgiving Meals to Families in Need

MSNBC | November 20, 2018 

Win CEO Christine Quinn talks with Stephanie Ruhle about working with Feeding NYC to ensure families in need have Thanksgiving dinners.

Watch Video

Homeless NYC students and families find reasons to be thankful at holiday time

NY Daily News | November 19, 2018 

Chiffon Keys-McKoy is trying to keep her family’s holiday traditions alive, even if they’re no longer in their own home.

For Keys-McKoy and her boys, the holiday season means finding something to be thankful for, even when times are tough.

WIN CEO Christine Quinn said that the holiday season can be a painful reminder of loss for families experiencing homelessness.

Read More

As Homeless Students Spread Across NYC, Support Is Stretched Thin

WNYC | November 14, 2018 

In the 19 years that Mary has lived in Astoria, Queens, she has seen luxury condos replace squat apartments at a steady pace. The gentrification reached her doorstep last summer when she was evicted.

Even more than housing, Mary said she worried about her children losing the stability and community of their schools. Her son has autism, and attended a special-education program that was good for him.

But her concern was not unique: given the changing patterns of homelessness in the city, advocates told WNYC many families felt as though they had to choose between a new school and a long commute. With a record-high 114,659 homeless students in New York City, systems to keep families in their schools and their neighborhoods are stretched thin.

Read More

Thanksgiving Meal Provided For Homeless Families At WIN Family Shelter In Harlem

Harlem World | November 14, 2018 

Today, Wednesday, November 14th, 2018, WIN (formerly Women in Need) hosted a Thanksgiving meal for over 250 family residents in one of their Manhattan shelters.

The event was supported by Casper. Homeless mothers and children enjoyed a sit-down Thanksgiving meal of turkey and trimmings. Casper employees helped prepare the shelter for the meal, provided volunteers, festive decorations including a photo booth, table linens, tableware, and smiles all around.

Read More

City’s Homeless Plan Isn’t Keeping Pace

WNYC | November 13, 2018 

The mayor set out a timeline for himself during that speech: he said 90 shelters would open over five years at a rate of around 20 shelters each year. That means that by now, more than a year and a half later, more than 30 should be in operation. Instead, just 17 of them — a little over half — have opened.

But some homeless experts, like Christine Quinn, the former City Council speaker who now runs Women in Need, argue the system for creating the new shelters is odd, if not inefficient. That’s because the city does not build the shelters directly. Rather, private developers do; shelter operators like hers then lease the buildings from those developers; and the city pays the shelter operator. Quinn said that if the Department of Homeless Services was also actively looking for sites, more shelters would be built, and they would be built faster.

Read More

NYC lawmakers join nonprofits in push for more housing for homeless

NYNMedia | November 1, 2018 

Homeless advocates rallied in front of New York City Hall on Oct. 31 in support of more resources for homeless people.

Read More

Promueven proyecto para dar 15% de apartamentos nuevos a desamparados en NYC

El Diario | October 31, 2018 

El concejal Rafael Salamanca, de El Bronx, introdujo en el Concejo Municipal una iniciativa de ley que, de ser aprobada, exigiría que todos los urbanistas que reciban ayuda financiera de la Ciudad para levantar sus edificios nuevos, o preservarlos, destinen al menos el 15% de sus unidades de vivienda para ser ocupadas por familias e individuos desamparados.

Read More

Battle Brewing Over Homeless Housing In New York City

CBS New York | October 31, 2018

With winter coming and nearly 61,000 people living in shelters, the homeless and advocate groups came to support a new bill proposed by Bronx Councilman Rafael Salamanca requiring that 15 percent of apartments built with city subsidies be earmarked for the homeless.

Watch Video

Baby Antonio: 5 Pounds, 12 Ounces and Homeless From Birth

New York Times | October 30, 2018 

He arrived at 12:29 a.m. on a warm Thursday in August. He was purple and perfectly formed, weighing all of 5 pounds and 12 ounces.

There is a picture of homelessness etched in public perception: a solitary, disheveled man, begging on a crowded sidewalk, holding a cardboard sign. But the largest single population in New York City’s shelter system is children under the age of 6.

Read More

Inspiring NYC student goes from homeless shelter to college dorm

NY Daily News | October 22, 2018 

Odean Gray is a Brooklyn student enrolled as a freshman at SUNY Cortland in August whose previous residence was an East New York Win shelter where his family still lives.

He’s one of roughly 30 students who made it to college from family shelters operated by WIN, the largest provider of family shelters in the city with more than 4,500 residents citywide.

Read More

1 in 10 NYC Students are Homeless. What are Potential Solutions?

NY1 | October 15, 2018

A new report highlights the rising number of city students who have been homeless over the last year. Errol Louis discussed potential solutions with Randi Levine from Advocates for Children of New York, Raysa Rodriguez from WIN, and Jennifer March of the Citizens’ Committee for Children organization.

Watch Video

The 2018 Nonprofit Power 50

City & State NY | October 8, 2018

In this special feature, we recognize 50 top nonprofit leaders who are key players in the world of New York politics and government.

4. Christine Quinn, President and CEO, Win

No one bridges the public and private sectors as dramatically as Christine Quinn, president and CEO of Win. She went from New York City Council speaker to a leading mayoral candidate to the head of one of the largest providers of housing and supportive services to homeless women and children. She was the executive director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project before she was elected to the council. After her time there, her influence expanded to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to whom she served as an advisor. There was a stint at Harvard, but Quinn never seems to venture too far from the public policy realms of New York City. Whatever her future, her current role ensures that she remains influential in one of the most vexing issues affecting the city: family homelessness.

Read More

Homeless Kids Get The Chance To Just Be Kids In Awesome NYC Program

A Plus | September 20, 2018

A nonprofit in New York City is making sure all children have the chance to make the most of their summer vacation through a camp specifically offered to kids who are currently experiencing homelessness. For most children, summer camp is a quintessential part of summers growing up, but not every child has equal access to such experiences. Operated by Women in Need (Win), Camp Win is working to ensure that all kids have the chance to spend their school break having fun.

Watch Video

Homeless Children Having Time Of Their Lives At Camp Win

CBS New York | August 29, 2018

CBS2’s Cindy Hsu met the children from Camp Win who live in family shelters across New York City. But for the summer they are getting a chance to focus on just being kids. Professional dancers and choreographers from Broadway Dance Center are teaching them some new moves.

About 1,000 children, ages 5 to 16, attend the non-profit summer-long program. They take lots of field trips that emphasize everything from science to culinary arts.

Watch Video

Homeless NYC students dance in workshop before start of school

Pix11 | August 29, 2018

A workshop geared towards homeless students in our city is putting some big smiles across their faces before school gets underway next week. For two days, dozens of kids are taught hip hop dance by top dancers and choreographers at the Broadway Dance Center in the Upper West Side.

Watch Video

Homeless students participate in STEM-related activities at New York Hall of Science

Times Ledger | August 25, 2018

Nearly 40 children from homeless shelters in Queens and Manhattan visited the New York Hall of Science Monday for a fun-filled day involving STEM-related activities.

Operated by Win (formerly Women in Need), New York City’s largest provider of shelter and support services for homeless women and their children in partnership with AT&T, the visit was a part of Camp Win, an immersive eight week-long program emphasizing science, technology, engineering, arts and math education for nearly 700 homeless students currently living in Win shelters.

Read More

Organization provides school supplies to homeless students

News12 Brooklyn | August 22, 2018

Win is helping homeless students in East New York gear up for the first day of school with new backpacks and school supplies.

Watch Video

This Queens museum hosts an educational field trip for NYC homeless students

The Queens Courier| August 21, 2018

On Monday, Aug. 20, kids from three Win-operated shelters in Manhattan and Queens experienced a day of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at the New York Hall of Science at 47-01 111th St. Win, formerly known as “Women in Need”, collaborated with AT&T for the field trip. The company’s support of the field trip is part of their “Summer of STEM” which aims to introduce youth in the five boroughs to essential tech skills.

Read More

Camp Win gives homeless NYC students an educational edge during summer

amNewYork | August 19, 2018

When school lets out for summer and students aren’t in the classroom on a daily basis, they risk losing the knowledge and reading skills they gained during the school year — a concept known as “learning loss.” A free program called Camp Win, operated by Women in Need (Win), a New York City-based homeless services provider, aims to help homeless students avoid just that.

A typical day at Camp Win — which runs Monday through Friday for 10 weeks, and puts an emphasis on STEM and the arts — can involve anything from lessons focused on math or engineering to field trips to New York City institutions.

Read More

Pop Quiz With Christine Quinn

Affordable Housing Finance | August 10, 2018

The former speaker of the New York City Council has a new role, providing shelter and services.

Christine C. Quinn is president and CEO of Win (formerly Women in Need). She discusses how Win brings her full circle to her early advocacy days and tells us about the organization’s ambitious new supportive housing development.

Read More

Op-ed By Christine Quinn: How to ease NYC’s housing crisis

amNewYork | August 6, 2018

NYC is battling twin crises — homelessness and affordable housing. Their common denominator is a wealth gap that exacerbates the city’s cost of living: Far too many New Yorkers cannot find a safe, affordable home.

One number that might say the most about our housing crisis is the one that emerged earlier this year: 49,000. That’s the number of applications families sent to Win to live in Stone House, an $80-million supportive housing development that Win opened in Brownsville in June. Stone House is the largest supportive housing development for families on the East Coast, featuring 160 units designed and developed for lower-income and formerly homeless families. It’s high-quality, dignified living and it is a major step forward for NYC families fighting to find stable housing and not return to shelters — the most important metric in this crisis.

Read More

Fighting Back Against the War on Homeless Shelters

The New York Times| July 20, 2018

Since Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan last year to put 90 new shelters in neighborhoods across the city rather than aggravate the problems of concentrated poverty that already exist and, in many cases allow homeless men and women to live closer to the places they are from, it has been easier to track Nimby-ism’s progress as a legitimized form of racial prejudice, as a means by which liberals can express their repressed discomforts.

How can this implicit animus against the most vulnerable be combated? In the years since she left politics, Christine Quinn has run Win, a social service agency that is the largest provider of shelter for women and children in the city. She has been successful — close to 90 percent of Win’s clients are still living independently a year after they are discharged from the shelter system — and she has fought aggressively to reframe the narrative that demonizes homelessness.

Read More

New York City to Consolidate Housing Subsidy Programs

The New York Times| July 18, 2018

New York City is consolidating its system of rental subsidies.

Under the new program, called City Fighting Homelessness & Eviction Prevention Supplement, vouchers will not longer expire after five years.

Those tenants, who pay 30 percent of their income toward rent while the city pays the rest, would have had to pay their whole rent in 2019. “There’s a real problem with that structure,” said Christine C. Quinn, CEO of Win, one of the city’s largest nonprofit providers of homeless services and shelter. “Whose salary goes up 70 percent in five years?”

Read More

Discrimination, scarcity still barriers for homeless looking for housing

Politico | June 21, 2018

Homeless New Yorkers looking to use rental assistance vouchers to move out of city shelters continue to struggle with discrimination by landlords in a perpetually tight housing market; despite city efforts, income discrimination remains a barrier to homeless people finding apartments.

“It is a real factor in the challenge of moving people out of shelter into permanent housing. I want to be clear it’s not the only one, but it is a significant one,” said Win CEO Christine Quinn.

Read More

Development Brings 160 Supportive and Affordable Housing Units to Brooklyn

Affordable Housing Finance| June 15, 2018

Replacing a vacant lot, the newly built development provides 96 supportive housing units and 64 affordable units at a time when more than 60,000 people are homeless in New York City. Children comprise the majority of this population, according to city officials.

Stone House is developed by Win, the largest provider of shelter for homeless families in the city.

Read More

Win Opens Largest Supportive Housing Facility for Families in NYS

NBC New York| June 14, 2018

Win officially opened the largest supportive housing facility for families in New York State on June 14, 2018.

Watch video

States’s Largest Supportive Housing Complex Opens In Brownsville

Patch | June 14, 2018

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN — The largest supportive housing complex in New York State will open its doors in Brownsville Thursday, officials said.

Stone House — a new $80 million building at 91 Junius St. — will bring 64 low-income and 96 supportive-housing apartments into the neighborhood, according to to Win, the nonprofit that sponsored it.

Read More

NYC pols, advocates urge education officials to offer more social workers for homeless students

Daily News| May 25, 2018

A record 111,562 city students were homeless or living in temporary housing in the 2016-17 school year, and they struggle in school compared with their peers in stable housing.

City Council Members joined Christine Quinn, the CEO of the homeless nonprofit WIN, and others at City Hall to provide better support for homeless students — starting with more social workers.

Read More

In Search of Stability: 3 Women’s Paths From Homelessness to Housing

StreetEasy | May 18, 2018

We spoke with three women who navigated the journey from homelessness to tenancy, each with the help of different city programs and private organizations. Here are their stories.

Read More

Brownsville shelter hosts 4th annual Mother’s Day event

News12 Brooklyn| May 5, 2018

Win’s Brownsville family shelter hosted a special day of pampering and leisure as part of an early Mother’s Day event Saturday. This year marks the fourth annual Mother’s Day celebration at the shelter.

Watch video

What makes this Girl Scouts group special?

BBC News | May 2, 2018

Troop 6000 is a regular Girl Scouts group in New York – with one small difference. BBC News speaks to Win’s CEO Christine Quinn on how Girl Scout Troop 6000 is impacting the lives of homeless girls.

Watch video

Students Talk About Growing Up in Homeless Shelters

NBC New York | April 9, 2018

NBC NY’s Melissa Russo spoke with New York City school kids who have spent at least part of their childhoods in homeless shelters. These boys and girls are the forgotten faces of homelessness, according to a new report from Win. Russo spoke to a young lady named DeeDee about her experiences growing up in a shelter.

“I grew up so much.” At age ten, DeeDee says spending a year in a homeless shelter put her young life in perspective. “Living in a shelter, all I know is that I just need to be safe.”

For DeeDee’s family and many others in this Harlem shelter, it is not their first time being homeless.

“The worst thing happening for homeless children is they’re returning with their family to shelters after having left,” Win President and CEO Chris Quinn explains.

According to a new report by Win, which shelters about 4,700 homeless children including DeeDee, 7 out of 10 of the children arriving to a New York City shelter had already experienced homelessness at least once before in their lives.

Read More

Addressing the shocking number of homeless children in NYC

NY1 | April 4, 2018

Former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn sits down with Errol Louis to discuss the shocking number of homeless children, and what her organization WIN has been doing to address the issue.

Watch video

Christine Quinn on Good Day New York

Good Day New York| April 4, 2018

Christine Quinn, the president and CEO of Win, spoke to Good Day New York about the city’s homelessness crisis. She also answered questions about her shots at Cynthia Nixon, a Democratic primary challenger to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Quinn is a former speaker of the City Council and an ally of the governor, who chose her to be the vice chair of the state Democratic Committee. She came under fire for calling Nixon an “unqualified lesbian.” Quinn, who is also gay, later apologized for invoking Nixon’s sexual orientation.

Read more

Homeless shelter founded by women’s group focuses on children with help from Brooke Shields

New York Daily News| April 4, 2018

Jocelyn Duran arrived at an East Harlem homeless shelter for families last summer. She was seven months pregnant and working 60 hours a week but she wasn’t making enough to avoid turning to the shelter system when she and her two kids left a domestic violence situation.

Read more

City program opens 34 ‘supportive housing’ units in Harlem to shelter, educate homeless families

NY Daily News | February 28, 2018

Two weeks ago, 34 units of what’s known as “supportive housing” opened up for homeless families, financed by a city Housing Preservation & Development Department loan and tax credits totaling $11.5 million.

Read more

Homelessness, Step by Step

New York Times | February 18, 2018

The New York Times looked at homelessness step by step through the eyes of several families, over the final months of last year.

Read more

Now I’m So Strong

Manhattan Times | February 14, 2018

Formerly homeless, Aidibel Moreno has recently moved into a new supportive housing facility in Harlem. Built and operated by nonprofit group Win, the site was designed to help women with children who are transitioning from the city’s shelter system.

Read more

Families Homeless No More With New Facility

NBC New York | February 8, 2018

Thirty-four families who were once homeless now have places to call their own.

Watch video

Housing with social services for formerly homeless New Yorkers

Fox5 | February 8, 2018

Aidibel Moreno is one of 34 women who will find themselves in new homes as part of the Win 118th Street permanent supportive housing residence, a home for homeless women and children in Harlem.

Read more

Supportive Housing Facility For 34 Families Opens In Harlem

Patch | February 8, 2018

City officials and the nonprofit Win (formerly Women In Need) announced Thursday the opening of a supportive housing facility for women and children in Harlem.

Read more

This Formerly Homeless High School Grad Is Working To Crush The Cycle Of Poverty

Bustle | July 12, 2017

Rosemary Rodriguez was just 13 years old when her family was evicted from their apartment. The high school sophomore suddenly found herself crammed into a one-bedroom unit at a local shelter in Brooklyn, New York with her mother and three siblings. Now she’s a high school graduate, and besides preparing for college, the formerly homeless teen Rosemary Rodriguez is providing policy recommendations to state legislators in hopes of helping other homeless teens escape the cycle of poverty.

“Society puts a label on you when you’re homeless,” 17-year-old Rodriguez tells Bustle. “Even if someone is homeless, they shouldn’t be treated any differently.”

Read more

Mayor taps new homeless-services executive, but few expect changes

NY Daily News | July 10, 2017

The mayor named a new homeless services chief Monday, but the position isn’t what it used to be.

Joslyn Carter, most recently associate commissioner of family intake at the Department of Homeless Services, will become the department’s first administrator since Mayor Bill de Blasio folded the agency into a new Department of Social Services along with the Human Resources Administration in April 2016.

Read more

Department Of Homeless Services Names New Administrator

NY Daily News | July 10, 2017

More than a year after it was reorganized, the Department of Homeless Services finally has a leader, the city will announce Monday.

Joslyn Carter has been appointed as administrator of the agency, the Daily News has learned.

Carter, who was previously the associate commissioner of family intake for DHS, will report to Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks — who has overseen both DHS and the Human Resources Administration since they were grouped together under him after a 90-day review last April.

Read more

Chris Quinn Op-ed: Two Smart Fixes That Will Help New York City Help the Homeless

NY Daily News | June 27, 2017

The city’s decision to roll out 90 new shelters for families and single New Yorkers who are homeless will comprehensively reform a system that has traditionally relied on expensive, short-term fixes. As we rethink our approach, it’s time to focus on a new strategic imperative: giving families the tools to break the cycle of homelessness for good. That means preventing especially vulnerable populations from becoming homeless, while ensuring newly independent New Yorkers don’t boomerang back into the system.

Read more

Advocates press for changes in city rental subsidy programs

Politico | June 27, 2017

Homeless advocates say that if New York City’s rental assistance programs are to succeed in keeping more people out of shelter, longer, then they need more flexible rules.

Christine Quinn, the former speaker of the City Council and head of Women in Need, one of the city’s largest homeless shelter systems, is one of the advocates pushing City Hall to sign on to a package of legislation that would extend the amount of time formerly homeless people can receive assistance to help pay their rent…

Read more

Ex-City Council Speaker Christine Quinn urges NYC to ‘break cycle of homelessness’ by keeping families out of shelters

NY Daily News | June 27, 2017

The city could keep more families out of shelters if it removes a five-year limit on a rental assistance program and makes it available to youth aging out of foster care, advocates and elected officials said Tuesday.

“What we really want is people to be able to live in permanent housing independence,” said Christine Quinn, CEO of Win, a shelter network for women and families, and the former Council speaker.

Read more

Families Deal With Extreme Temperatures In NYC Homeless Shelters During Heat Wave

Pix11 | June 13, 2017

A homeless mother, enduring a long term stay in one of New York City’s homeless shelter facilities.

“It’s a heat wave, about the second one, I believe, and now there’s no air,” said Greene.

In this case, it’s the Westway Inn in Astoria, Queens, where Greene says the air conditioning unit…

Read more

City Commissioner Visits Brownsville Shelter To Explore Solutions

Kings County Politics | June 12, 2017

In a room at the end of the long hallway, a woman cooks ingredients on a hot plate as a group of children sit on red plastic chairs, their small hands making piles of green pepper, tomato, and onion.

It’s another day in the life at the Women In Need’s (WIN) Junius shelter, a seven-story, pink-beige building at 51 Junius Street in Brownsville. The shelter currently supports 420 homeless families of WIN’s close to 10,000 homeless women and their children they serve at various shelters citywide each year.

Read more

De Blasio administration seeks to limit childcare hours at NYC homeless shelters

NY Daily News | June 10, 2017

The de Blasio administration will ask the Board of Health Tuesday to regulate childcare in homeless shelters, the Daily News has learned.

That includes limiting their hours, which one operator of family shelters says will do more harm than good.

The regulations, which will be brought before the board on Tuesday and be subject to a public comment period, apply to one of three options shelters have under state law for providing childcare: “drop-off” care, or childcare within the shelter itself…

Read more

EXCLUSIVE: New York City opens 5 homeless shelters under de Blasio plan that calls for adding 85 more

NY Daily News | May 26, 2017

Five new homeless shelters down — 85 to go.

Almost 90 days after Mayor de Blasio vowed to build a network of 90 new shelters, the city has opened five and plans to meet with shelter providers to talk about next steps, Social Services Commissioner Steve Banks said.

“We appreciate the support of New Yorkers, who are fundamentally compassionate people, and that’s the spirit that’s helped us open five shelters in 90 days,” Banks said in an interview.

Read more

Bridget Foley’s Diary: WIN’s Quinn

WWD | May 9, 2017

In advance of tonight’s WIN gala, CEO Christine Quinn talks about fighting for New York’s homeless families, glimmers of light countering a “train wreck” presidency and why she loves politics and hates suits.

Christine Quinn has exactly an hour for an interview, hard finish at 2:30 p.m. “Let’s talk through the picture,” she suggests as photographer Masato Onoda snaps away in her comfortably no-frills office. Before the bell tolls, Quinn will have discussed Donald Trump; Hillary Clinton; Brexit; the impending French election (we met May 5); Jaqui Lividini; a Titanic survivor (her grandmother); a charming…

Read more

Single Mom Struggles To Raise Her Three Children in NYC Shelter

WSJ | Apr. 10, 2017

The beige, seven-story homeless shelter blends into East New York, an isolated Brooklyn neighborhood of vacant lots and low-slung homes more than an hour’s subway ride from Midtown Manhattan.

Inside, a steady stream of children walk through dimly lighted hallways clutching their mothers’ hands. The long stretches of white walls are decorated with children’s drawings and photographs of former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.

Read more

Women and Children’s Homeless Shelter Welcome on the UES, Pols Say

DNAinfo | Mar. 24, 2017

The Upper East Side is rolling out the red carpet for a supportive housing facility that will cater to 17 homeless moms and their children.

Students and faculty from East Side Middle School and P.S. 527, five local elected officials and representatives from the city’s Department of Social Services and Human Resources welcomed Women In Need — a nonprofit agency that houses and provides social services for families — to the neighborhood during a press conference on Friday morning outside its future home at 316 E. 91st St.

Read more

New York Spends $1.2 Billion A Year On Homelessness And Yet The Problem Is Only Getting Worse.

NY Magazine | Mar. 22, 2017

At 7 a.m., Donice Ford-Benson is working in the rain on the unfinished 17th floor of 550 Vanderbilt. She’s checking a drain system but pauses for a moment because, even in the downpour, she can’t resist taking in the panorama of Downtown Brooklyn. The spot where she stands will soon be a balcony and belong to whoever buys the condo and the views. According to the developer’s website, the building will be “Setting the Standard for Brooklyn Living.” Construction is almost complete, and when it is, Ford-Benson will then be out of work.

Read more

Volunteers Spend Evenings Reading With Children In Shelters Through ‘Bedtime Stories’ Program

Pix11 | Mar. 16, 2017

Reading can unlock a world of possibilities for children like Ananda. “Do you like to come here?” I asked her. “Yes,” she nodded. The kindergartner gets the chance to open a book every week with a volunteer from New York Cares. “I really like working with kids so this is a unique opportunity, obviously a lot of enthusiasm, and desire to learn,” Tom Lavander, volunteer, said.

It’s part of the program, ‘Bedtime Stories’ at a Women in Need shelter in East Harlem…

Read more

Facing Homelessness in NYC

NY1 Online | Mar. 2, 2017

What is it like to be homeless in New York City? Errol Louis sat down with three New Yorkers who have struggled to stay out of the shelter system.

Read more

Robin Hood Donors Volunteer for Annual HOPE Count of New York City’s Homeless Population

PR.com | Feb. 9, 2017

On Monday, February 6, 2016, The Robin Hood Foundation pulled together its community of donors to support fellow New Yorkers. The Chauncey F. Lufkin III Foundation was privileged to offer a helping hand as Robin Hood volunteers for the annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE). HOPE is an annual, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development mandated survey of the number of individuals living in New York City’s public spaces.

Read more

Commentary by Christine Quinn – Donald Trump Needs To Start Talking About America’s Poor

Fortune | Jan. 20, 2017

The 2016 presidential election is said to have been won and lost by the working class of America. President-elect Donald Trump spoke frequently on the campaign trail of fighting for the “forgotten men and women of this country”—the working-class men and women who, he argued, were struggling to get by and had been forgotten by their government. But if he wants to reassure America during his inaugural address that he speaks for all of us, then he needs to address a group of hard-working men and women who he didn’t acknowledge on the campaign trail: the homeless.

Read more

Gov. Cuomo Proposes Several Initiatives For NYC In State Of State

Newsday | Jan. 11, 2017

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo used his State of the State address Monday in lower Manhattan to tout several initiatives he said would expand opportunity and access in the five boroughs.

He listed plans for the outerboroughs that included $50 million for affordable care at Montefiore Health System in the Bronx, permanent Verrazano-Narrows Bridge toll reductions for Staten Islanders and healthy-eating and wellness programs in Brooklyn.

Read more

The New York Times Close Up 1/7/17

NY1 Video | Jan. 7, 2017

On this weekend’s edition of ‘The New York Times Close Up,’ Grace Rauh talks to Christine Quinn, the chief executive of WIN, the social service and advocacy organization that provide shelter and aid for homeless families, about the challenges facing the city as it deals with record levels of homelessness.

Times National Political Correspondent Amy Chozick takes a deep breath to describe life after more than a year on the road, primarily covering Hillary Clinton’s Presidential Campaign, and talks with us about her new focus.

Read more

9 Small Feminist New Year’s Resolutions That Make A Big Difference

Bustle | Dec. 30, 2016

6. Remember That Women Can Become Homeless, Too

“Remember the forgotten face of homelessness: women and children. You’d never know it by looking at fear-mongering pictures of single men in tabloids and popular media, but women and families represent 70 percent of the homeless population in New York City. 20 percent of NYC’s homeless are under the age of five, and the number one driver of homelessness is…”

Read more

Formerly Homeless NYC Teen Returns Home From College, Spends First Christmas With Family At New Home

NY Daily News | Dec. 24, 2016

She finally came home for the holidays.

For the first time in more than four years, the door teenager Angely Tejada walked through to see her family was not in a shelter.

Tejada overcame years of homelessness to succeed in high school and start college at the State University of New York at Delhi in August.

Read more

Who’s Afraid of NYC’s Homeless Hotels?

City Limits | Dec. 23, 2016

A homeless 52-year-old woman described the boutique Manhattan hotel room where she lives with her two grandkids as clean but tiny. Frances Ramos said the city Department of Homeless Services placed her family at The MAve Hotel in late October.

The narrow, 11-floor building at Madison Avenue and East 27th Street sits around the corner from the Museum of Sex. Its website markets rooms “modern in style,” but news reports revealed in October that the city was renting all of its 72 units for homeless New Yorkers.

Read more

East Harlem Women’s Shelter Throws Feast For 300 Prepared by Swanky Upper East Side Restaurant

NY Daily News [print] | Dec. 21, 2016

’Twas prime time for Christmas on Tuesday at Women in Need’s East Harlem shelter.

A holiday feast from the Upper East Side’s Primal Cut, prepared under the direction of executive chef Thomas Perone, was laid out for nearly 300 people.

Read more

With Homeless Issue, Christine Quinn Gets Back In The Conversation

New York Times | Dec. 16, 2016

On Sept. 11, 2013, Christine C. Quinn, who had just suffered a rough and at one time entirely unimaginable defeat in New York City’s Democratic primary race for mayor, headed downtown to the National September 11 Memorial and turned off her phone. A few hours later, she realized she had missed several calls from Hillary Clinton’s office.

Read more

Lightening A Mother’s Load

Manhattan News Times | Dec. 12, 2016

It was time for wellness at Win.

As New York City’s homeless population continues to rise, so does the burden it places on families, which comprise over 70 percent of the shelter population.

Win, or Women in Need, a network providing shelter and supportive housing to families in the city, is attempting to relieve some of the stress by offering support for new mothers residing in its shelters.

Read more

PBS MetroFocus: The Work Of Women In Need

MetroFocus | Dec. 12, 2016

WNET-TV (PBS) – Transcript…cold streets of manhattan, as winter kicks in. did you know that most of our city’s homeless population is made up of women and children? plans to help are in place, but there’s a backlash. former new york city council speaker and mayor ol hopeful christine quinn will be here with details.

Read more

Residents, Pols Argue Against Proposed Coney Island Shelter, Say Area Has Enough Problems [VIDEO]

BensonhurstBean | Dec. 9, 2016

A possible homeless shelter at 2201-2227 Neptune Area and West 23rd Street for mothers and their children could be coming to Coney Island, but not everyone is happy about it.

Christine Quinn and her non-profit group, Women in Need (Win), met with Community Board 13, residents, leading community groups and local elected politicians at a public meeting Thursday night at P.S. 329.

Read more

News All Night

NY1 Video | Dec. 7, 2016

Non-Profit Holds Event for New Moms

Read more

Dan Taller De Formación Y Ayuda Para Madres Sin Hogar

NY1 Noticias | Dec. 7, 2016

Estas madres sin un hogar están recibiendo un trato muy especial.

“Me siento bien, porque hay una organización que nos toma a nosotras las madres solteras, que nos dan muchas donaciones y ayuda para nuestros bebés, pues ya que es muy complicado estar recién, de dar a luz y sin trabajo, sin comida”, dijo Nolvia Rorz una de las asistentes al taller.

Read more

Thanksgiving Dinners Bring Hope, Normalcy For New York City Families In Need

NY Daily News | Nov. 23, 2016

Many single mothers and children at city homeless shelters were feeling grateful after receiving boxed dinners for Thanksgiving.

FeedingNYC is a New York City fundraising volunteer program that feeds and empowers families in need prior to Thanksgiving. The group distributes boxes of raw ingredients of a traditional Thanksgiving meal to Women in Need (WIN) shelters throughout the five boroughs.

Read more

Christine Quinn’s Homeless-Housing Nonprofit Reaches Deal For Upper East Side Project

Crain’s New York | Nov. 16, 2016

A nonprofit provider of shelters and supportive-housing for women and children has reached a deal to develop 17 new affordable apartments it will operate on the Upper East Side.

Women in Need, run by former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, will lease the 17 two-bedroom apartments that investors plan to build on the site of a theater they purchased in recent weeks at 316 E. 91st St. for roughly $13.5 million.

Read more

Christine Quinn Presses Ahead With Brooklyn Homeless Shelters

New York Post | Nov. 11, 2016

Two new homeless shelters are on the drawing board for southern Brooklyn — one of which is already facing community opposition, officials said Thursday.

Proposed shelters in Sheepshead Bay and Coney Island would be managed by Women in Need, a nonprofit serving homeless women and children that is headed by former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Read more

News All Morning – Former City Council Speaker’s Organization Hopes to Operate New Homeless Shelter in Coney Island

NY1 Video | Nov. 11, 2016

Last month, the de Blasio administration abandoned a plan to convert a hotel into a homeless shelter in Queens after intense community opposition. Now, the former speaker of the City Council could have a similar battle on her hands, this time in Coney Island. NY1’s Courtney Gross filed the following report.

It is not easy to open up a homeless shelter in New York, but it’s something Christine Quinn is trying to do.

Read more

NYC Pol Against Coney Island Homeless Shelter Plan That Could House More Than 150 Families

NY Daily News | Nov. 10, 2016

Struggling Coney Island is no place for a homeless shelter, a lawmaker said Thursday.

But City Councilman Mark Treyger said he has no plans to launch protests that have marked other efforts to site homeless shelters in the five boroughs.

Read more

Quinn on Trump’s Win

NY1 Video | Nov. 10, 2016

Former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn joined Errol Louis to react to Donald Trump’s win and discuss what it means for New York City. She also responded to the comparison of Hillary Clinton’s loss and her own defeat in the 2013 Mayoral Election.

Read more

Domestic Violence Emerges As Economic Scourge And Primary Driver Of Homelessness

Crain’s New York | Oct. 26, 2016

Until recently, Tiffanie Hughes, 21, was attending community college and waitressing while raising her infant son. But as her 51-year-old live-in boyfriend became increasingly abusive, her grades suffered and she dropped out of school.

“I messed up because I was just going through a lot with him,” said the Staten Island native, fighting back tears. “I wasn’t focused, how I usually am. And I wanted to finish school so bad. That’s one of the things that I really want to do.”

Read more

Helping The Homeless

NY1 Online | Oct. 21, 2016

Former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn sat down with Errol Louis to discuss her work on behalf of the city’s homeless population as president and CEO of WIN.

Read more

Former Mayoral Candidate Christine Quinn Slaps De Blasio For Doing Too Little To Help Homeless

NY Daily News | Oct. 20, 2016

Christine Quinn, the one-time mayoral candidate who has eased back into the spotlight in recent weeks, lobbed some criticism at Mayor de Blasio for failing to adequately address the needs of women and families.

In a Daily News Op-Ed published Thursday, Quinn — who heads the homeless services organization Win — criticized the mayor for failing to adequately address the needs of women and families.

Read more

Ex-speaker Slams Mayor On Hotels For Homeless

Fox5NY | Oct. 20, 2016

Amid protests over the city building homeless shelters and housing the homeless in hotels, former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is criticizing the administration for how it has handled the crisis.

Quinn now oversees the city’s largest shelter for women and children. She says there’d be a lot less backlash from neighborhoods if the mayor and the department of homeless services came out with a clear timeline and plan of attack.

Read more

Former Council Speaker Criticizes Mayor’s Homeless Plan as Shelter Population Hits 60K

NY1 | Oct. 20, 2016

NEW YORK – Former City Council Speaker and Mayoral Candidate Christine Quinn is back in the spotlight with recommendations for the city on fighting the homeless crisis.

Quinn is now the President and CEO of the Win organization, which is the largest provider of shelters for women and children in the city.

Read more

Quinn Says De Blasio Must Better Coordinate Homeless Shelter Plans

Politico New York | Oct. 20, 2016

Former City Council speaker Christine Quinn, now the president and CEO of a nonprofit homeless shelters provider for women and children, leveled serious criticism at Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration Thursday over its handling of the city’s homeless population, arguing the mayor hasn’t done enough to build support for shelters around the city.

Read more

‘Our City Is Hurting’ Ex-City Council Speaker Quinn Unveils Proposals To Combat Homelessness

CBS New York | Oct. 20, 2016

Former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn unveiled a series of proposals Thursday to combat rising homelessness in New York City.

A record 60,017 people — more than 23,000 of them children — are currently in city shelters, according to Quinn, the head of the group Women in Need.

Read more

Former City Council Speaker Faults Mayor On Homeless Policies

Metro New York | Oct. 20, 2016

New York City’s former City Council speaker is taking Mayor Bill de Blasio to task for what she sees as his failing approach to dealing with the city’s homelessness problem.

“Clearly the city is aching in the face of this crisis that they know is not getting any better. They’re aching for the mayor to stand up,” Christine Quinn told The Wall Street Journal. “New Yorkers don’t hear that, they don’t see that, they don’t have anything to believe in.”

Read more

NYC Homeless Population Reaches Historically Tragic Number

New York Post | Oct. 20, 2016

The number of homeless people in city shelters has exceeded 60,000 for the first time in history, official data revealed Wednesday.

There are now 60,017 individuals being put up by the city — 36,463 adults and 23,554 children — according to the Department of Homeless Services’ “daily report” posted on its Web site.

Read more

Christine Quinn Dips Toe Into 2017 Mayor’s Race by Hitting de Blasio on Homelessness

The Village Voice | Oct. 20, 2016

Former City Council speaker and 2013 mayoral candidate Christine Quinn very publicly criticized the de Blasio administration’s approach to the city’s record levels of homelessness this morning, laying out in both a Daily News op-ed and a policy speech the steps she believes the city needs to take to better help homeless families.

Read more

Ex City Council Speaker Christine Quinn Urges De Blasio to ‘Take Charge’ of Homelessness as Shelter Inhabitants Spike Above 60k

NY Daily News | Oct. 20, 2016

Former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, in her first major speech since leaving office three years ago, offered some suggestions for Mayor de Blasio to combat homelessness and refused to rule out a run for office again.

Read more

Quinn Criticizes De Blasio’s Housing Plan

Crain’s New York | Oct. 20, 2016

Nonprofit executive and former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn went after Mayor Bill de Blasio on his signature effort Thursday, arguing that his housing plan is not the answer to her homeless clients’ needs.

Quinn, who lost the 2013 mayoral primary to de Blasio and now runs homeless-services organization Win, said the administration’s plan to build or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing does not sufficiently address the homelessness crisis.

Read more

First Read

City and State NY | Oct. 20, 2016

Editorial Pages:

* De Blasio writes in the Daily News that the paper’s editorial board wrongly claimed his administration was making homeless shelters too accessible, and offered no real proposal to protect those on the brink of homelessness.

* Quinn writes in the Daily News that the city needs to be bolder and better orient homeless policy around the whole family, and do a better job of explaining to the public that many homeless New Yorkers are families.

Read more

On Homelessness, A Better Way: Lay Out A Multi-year Shelter Plan, And Gear Programs To Help Families In Deep Need

NY Daily News | Oct. 19, 2016

“Single mother, formerly incarcerated, legally blind in one eye. Just when I felt that I was getting my life back together . . . the dishonest broker took all the money I’d worked so hard to save.”

“My abusive husband has locked me out of my own house. I have no coat and I am so cold. I feel my life is crumbling in front of my eyes. I have been working two jobs while he has done nothing. I bought this house. I bought our car . . . and now my children and I live in shelter.”

Read more

Slant Podcast: Hillary’s Quinn-tessential Surrogate

NY Slant | Oct. 18, 2016

If, like many Americans, you have been glued to your television throughout this presidential campaign, there’s at least a decent chance you flipped to CNN and caught Christine Quinn in action, going toe-to-toe with various Donald Trump supporters as one of Hillary Clinton’s most visible surrogates.

After keeping a low profile in the wake of her Democratic mayoral primary loss in 2013, Quinn, the former New York City Council speaker, has resurfaced in the public eye.

Read more

Shelter For Homeless Families Proposed For Neptune Avenue

Bensonhurst Bean | Oct. 3, 2016

A shelter for homeless families may be coming to Coney Island.

A proposal for a family homeless shelter, to be located at the corner of Neptune Avenue and West 23rd Street and operated by non-profit Women In Need (WIN), is pending before the City, said sources familiar with the project.

Read more

New York City’s Largest Supportive Housing Facility Expected To Open Next Year

News 12 Brooklyn | Sept. 30, 2016

The organization Women in Need (WIN) celebrated Friday as the skeleton of the Stone House building was completed.

Stone House is expected to be the largest supportive housing facility for formerly homeless families in New York City.

Read more

Christine Quinn On City’s Homeless Figures: No Celebration Until The Job’s Done

Observer | Sept. 30, 2016

With a record number of 60,000 New Yorkers sleeping in homeless shelters, Christine Quinn—the former council speaker who now runs a nonprofit helping homeless women and children—said her onetime opponent Mayor Bill de Blasio had made progress but that there’s still work to be done.

Read more

Christine Quinn On Finding Her Focus After Suffering The Biggest Loss Of Her Career

Vogue | Sept. 22, 2016

I lost my mother when I was sixteen. She always made clear to my sister and me that we were winners, that nothing could stand in our way—not opposition, not sexism, nothing. We were strong Irishwomen, and Irishwomen push through. Her conviction propelled me into politics, into the speaker’s chair of the New York City Council for eight years, and, in 2013, into the mayoral race. And it seemed for some time that my mother had been prescient.

Read more

Cuomo Allocating More State Money To Help City’s Homeless, But Funds Require Approvals Of Assembly Speaker And Senate Majority Leader

NY1 | Sept. 16, 2016

Governor Andrew Cuomo is allocating more state money to help the city’s homeless, but those funds require the approvals of both the Assembly speaker and the Senate majority leader, and neither has signed off on Cuomo’s plan. Zack Fink filed the following report.

Read more

How Do You Throw A Birthday Party When A Child Is Homeless?

NY Times | Sept. 6, 2016

Stephany Cruz’s son, Jeremiah, who just turned 8, was thrilled by the face painting, games and pizza at his recent birthday party. It was especially thrilling because Ms. Cruz and her son were homeless at the time and living at a Win homeless shelter in Manhattan.

“He’s been counting down the days for this,” said Ms. Cruz, 27. “He was like, ‘Look at my invitation! It has my name on it!’ He was so excited.”

Read more

Homeless Harlem Girl One Of 11 City Teens To Get Fresh Start In College Thanks To Women In Need Shelters

Daily News | Aug. 28, 2016

Harlem teen Angely Tejada is just one of hundreds of incoming freshmen starting classes at the State University of New York at Delhi on Monday, but unlike most of her classmates, she was homeless until she recently moved into her upstate dorm.

The inspiring 18-year-old student spent all four years of her high school career living in the Women in Need shelter in East Harlem with her family.

Read more

Menores Que Viven En Refugios De NYC Muestran Bajo Desempeño Escolar

El Diario | Aug. 22, 2016

En la Ciudad de Nueva York hay al menos 82,000 estudiantes que viven en refugios, en su mayoría latinos, que enfrentan mayores problemas académicos en las escuelas en comparación con el resto de los niños.

Así lo reveló un estudio realizado por el Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness (ICPH), que demostró que estos estudiantes no solamente tienen niveles más bajos de desempeño escolar en materias como inglés y matemáticas, sino que además presentan mayor número de ausencias a clases y suspensiones.

Read more

Piden Fondos Para Ayudar A Sobrevivientes De Violencia Doméstica

El Diario | Aug. 9, 2016

Cada día la Policía de Nueva York recibe unas 600 llamadas por hechos de violencia doméstica, en su mayoría contra mujeres. Y aunque muchas de ellas quieren tomar la decisión de salir del círculo vicioso en el que han caído con sus agresores, miedos como un lugar dónde vivir y quedarse sin apoyo económico, terminan evitando que las víctimas denuncien.

Read more

Op-ed By Christine Quinn: Time For Women To Win

Medium | Aug. 9, 2016

Yesterday, this tweet appeared in my twitter feed “Um, does she have a name? For God’s sake — she just won a bronze medal in the @Olympics. Who approved this headline?”

The tweet referred to the Chicago Tribune’s headline: “Wife of a Bears’ lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics.” (The headline has since been updated to at least include the woman’s name: Corey Cogdell.)

Read more

How Cooking Is Helping These Low-Income Girls Take Charge Of Their Lives

Refinery 29 | Aug 5, 2016

“What all of the activities have come back to so far [is] coming together with a partner, or a team, and making something possible and making something happen. And that’s such a powerful message,” said Cyndi Snyder, Win’s volunteer and event coordinator.

As the girls rolled out the fresh pasta, flour was everywhere, with clouds of it appearing every time they moved.

Read more

Homeless Youth In East NY Get Summer Field Day

News 12 | July 14, 2016

About 60 kids who live at the Win shelter in East New York were treated to field day filled with games on Thursday.

Shelter staff and volunteers from Black Stone were on hand to serve as counselors at Camp Win. Each kid received a bag full of summer essentials like a beach ball, towel, hat, T-shirt and water bottle.

Read more

Op-ed By Christine Quinn: Investment Is Just The Beginning

Medium | July 11, 2016

Why do men, women and families end up without a permanent home? The answer is always a complicated one  –  loss of income, a ruptured family, mental health issues or spiraling health costs, increased rent – but at heart is that multiple support systems have failed. That includes social supports, economic supports and government and policy supports.

Somewhat ironically, the one safety net system that kicks in when people are at their most vulnerable is the system that is so frequently criticized: the shelter system.

Read more

Op-ed By Christine Quinn: Celebrating Those Who Serve Our City’s Most Vulnerable

Huffington Post | July 6, 2016

A few days before this past holiday weekend I had the opportunity to meet with the men and women who run our Win shelters and permanent supportive housing for homeless families. The timing – just before Independence Day – was so appropriate because, as we were talking, I realized that these men and women lead our families through a process of finding their own independence.

Read more

Airbnb Partners With New York City Nonprofit To Fight Homelessness

Forbes | July 1 2016

Airbnb is taking a stab at reducing homelessness in the Big Apple. The online home and room rental company has donated $100,000 to WIN, a New York City-based organization devoted to providing shelter and support services to homeless women and their children.

Read more

Chris Quinn Co-hosts Good Day New York 

Fox | Jun 9, 2016

Former NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn co-hosted the 9 a.m. hour of Good Day New York.

Read more

Nonprofits That Are Changing The World For Women:

The Farm | Jun 8, 2016

Today in New York City young girls have an equal chance to be as successful as any boy in their class. Not a very bold statement but this wasn’t something parents could honestly say not too long ago.

The Nordic countries set the best example around the world for laws and a society that treats women as equals. In a recent gender gap report by the World Economic Forum, Iceland ranked first in the world for the fifth consecutive year, followed by Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

Read more