Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill (CHHOP) has introduced community support program Tierra Solida/Solid Ground with a grant from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s Community Fund.
The program will assist immigrant and low-wage workers on the brink of falling into homelessness due to short-term, emergency financial issues they may face, such as loss of wages due to illness. Qualified individuals can apply for temporary rental arrears and/or utility assistance. The program will boost housing security, as well as the health and well-being of our CHHOP’s Fred’s Pantry clients — as well as other lower-income residents — by helping them avoid eviction or having utilities shut off. CHHOP has hired Mailene Ramos as Program Manager to oversee Tierra Solida/Solid Ground.
CHHOP CEO Cynthia Knox stated, “CHHOP is dedicated to taking proactive measures that aid in the prevention of housing and food insecurity in our community with programs such as Tierra Solida/Solid Ground. With the incredible support of organizations like NewYork-Presbyterian – who recognize the importance of our mission — we are able to adapt to changing needs in a proactive and substantive way. In Mailene Ramos, we have found someone with the integrity, knowledge and empathy needed for the program to be successful, and we very much welcome her to the team.”
Ramos was born and raised in the Bronx. As a Fordham Law graduate and lawyer, she had worked under the Ferrick Center for Social Justice in several projects focusing on Immigrant Justice, Civil Legal Advice, Housing Rights and Pandemic Relief Funds. As a Community Economic Development clinic student, she aided in the formal incorporation of not-for-profit startups. Her work in the Public Interest sector awarded her the 2023 Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award. Ramos aspires to utilize her time, resources, and skills to support Human Rights, Public Interest and Environmental Justice.
In addition to Jan Peek House — the only shelter in Northern Westchester serving the most vulnerable and homeless — and Fred’s Pantry, which, in 2023, provided over 18,000 households with nearly a quarter of a million meals, CHHOP also runs three support services for the community: Healthcare for Homeless Veterans, the first and only program in the Hudson Valley providing residential, clinical and treatment services with 90- to 180-day transitional housing; Turning Point, which supports chronically homeless people living with a disability, through housing assistance, home visits, advocacy, life skills training and crisis intervention; and RISE, which supports domestic violence survivors by promoting economic independence through safe, affordable housing, support and employment services.
For more information about CHHOP > chhop.org; Facebook.com/CHHOPorg; Instagram @chhop_peekskill.
God bless.