Foundling Staff Volunteer for HOPE 2016
Everyday our 1,800 dedicated Foundling employees work tirelessly to support children and families in New York City and surrounding counties. In the blog below we highlight how three individuals went above and beyond their typical ‘work days’ by volunteering to participate in this year’s Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE).
The Department of Homeless Services organizes the Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) every year to count the number of people living on the streets of New York City. This annual event brings thousands of volunteers together for an evening surveying the city. Teams are assembled across all five boroughs of the city, including all public parks and the subway system. New York City’s Department of Homeless Services uses this information to determine what services and programs are needed to keep people off the streets.
Jena Dropela, Director of Business Operations, Morgan McCray, Business Operations Analyst, and Jacquelyn Sanders, Vice President of Family Foster Care participated in HOPE 2016 by canvassing neighborhoods from 11pm until 4am in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
Though the evening’s temperature dropped below freezing, Jacquelyn and her team canvassed Staten Island into the early hours of the morning. They identified 35 people sleeping on the street. Jacquelyn explained how “one of our team members made goody bags that included socks, a blanket, a toothbrush and toothpaste which we handed out to the people in need.”
Last year HOPE 2015 identified 3,182 people living without shelter. Results for HOPE 2016 will be available this summer.
