As the housing and food insecurity crisis continues to rage across America, CHHOP – Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill – has signed an interim two-year lease renewal for its Jan Peek House shelter until a permanent location can be secured.
Additionally, a two-year agreement has been reached on the existing rental space for Fred’s Pantry so it can continue distributing food to the community twice per week – Wednesdays and Saturdays – as it has done since the Covid-19 pandemic to meet the increased need.
Cynthia Knox, CEO of CHHOP, commented, “Without question, both Jan Peek House and Fred’s Pantry provide essential housing, support services and nutritious ‘farm to pantry’ food for those in need in our community and we couldn’t be more humbled by the support we’ve seen by area residents and elected officials. The signing of the Jan Peek House lease is purely an interim solution, so our services and programs go uninterrupted. Until a permanent solution is secured, our work continues. The only shelter in Northern Westchester needs to be future-proofed well beyond the next two years.”
Since 1988, Jan Peek House has been the only shelter serving the most vulnerable and homeless of Northern Westchester. In 2023, CHHOP’s Jan Peek House provided shelter to 331 clients, including 56 veterans and our offsite housing programs — Turning Point and RISE — assisted 125 individuals. Fred’s Pantry provided over 18,000 households with nearly a quarter of a million meals. Sixty-tw0 percent of the households were new to the pantry last year.
