Jose – Consumer Graffiti Artist

Ever since he was a young boy, Jose Cruz dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player like his idol Roberto Clemente. Born in Puerto Rico, Jose and his family moved to the US when he was a young boy, where he grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He was the youngest of three children being raised by a single mother. Life was hard, and resisting the pressures of gangs and drugs became increasingly difficult as he got older.  Jose knew that baseball was his only way out, and through practice and dedication, he landed an offer from the Mets for after High School.  Unfortunately, Jose never graduated.  Falling into the wrong crowd, and making a series of bad decisions, Jose found himself in prison. After two further stints in prison, he was released, only to discover that he was HIV positive and was infected with Hepatitis C.

Since then, Jose has been in and out of hospitals and is no longer able to work. He knew he needed help, and that is what he found at SUS, where he enrolled in SUS’ Transitional Housing Program for People Living With AIDS (PLWA). Jose still struggles with acceptance, but is regularly attending group therapy sessions, is diligent about his health and making doctors appoints and has found extra support in his peer counselor, Janet.  He realizes that there is still life. “I may be sick, but I have to look forward, I’m not dead yet. SUS has taught me to learn to live with the disease and to continue to do things that make me positive and strong, like my artwork,” he says.

One thing that Jose loved to do was graffiti art. In the 70’s, he got into street graffiti writing, and kept a “Black Book” of all his artwork, competing with other artists in his neighborhood to see whose writings were the best (burners). In prison his graffiti writing kept him hopeful and positive. He developed a method of airbrushing using a hallowed out bic pen and sharpie markers.  Using his own breath to spray the ink makes for more precise, straighter lines than the traditional airbrushing machines. This method takes a little bit longer, but Jose finds that doing it by hand is more rewarding, and produces better results. Jose now creates custom pieces for rappers, DJ’s and their crews, friends and family, using t-shirts, pants, hats and canvas as his mediums.

Jose will be moving into his own studio apartment this week with the help of SUS.  His biggest dream is to help get the message across to at risk children to “stay away from drugs, stay in school and work hard to achieve your dreams.” He hopes that his art sales will continue to grow.  Eventually, he would like to write and publish his story. Thanks to the support he has found at SUS, Jose now looks forward to the opportunities ahead.

Recent Growth of a 33-Year Partnership with Veterans in Need

SUS, Services for the UnderServed, was recently awarded $1,787,000 in new federal and New York City FY 2011-2012 funding by the United States Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), the United States Department of Labor (DOL), and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) to provide care coordination, employment opportunities, and supportive services in housing to homeless veterans in New York City. Specifically,

• SUS received a $507,000 award from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as part of the new Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. The SSVF Program, a critical element of VA’s plan to prevent and end homelessness among Veterans, promoting housing stability among homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families.  This significant award enables SUS in partnership with the Family Center, Inc. to provide a range of supportive services to eligible very low-income Veteran families.  SUS’ Veteran Families Care Coordination Program’s services, provided in partnership with The Family Center, Inc., includes outreach, case management, assistance in obtaining VA benefits, assistance in obtaining and coordinating other public benefits, and making financial assistance payments on behalf of Veterans for purposes such as rent payments, utility payments, security deposits and moving costs.

• SUS also received two new awards totaling $360,000, both a competitive renewal of our existing HVRP program serving female veterans and veterans with dependent children as well as a second HVRP award targeted to the greater population of homeless vets by the United States Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service as part of the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). HVRP is a critical element of the Department of Labor’s strategy to integrate homeless veterans into the workforce. SUS is proud to be partnering with Easter Seals New York on this important new initiative.

• Finally, SUS was awarded a $920,000 contract by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as part of the New York/New York III agreement to provide supportive services to formerly homeless Veterans residing in HELP USA’s Genesis Neighborhood Plaza II, a new permanent housing program in East New York, Brooklyn scheduled to open in December, 2011.

“SUS is honored to both expand our relationships with the Department of Labor and New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and to partner with the VA on the new SSVF program. This investment in SUS and our community-based partners allows us to significantly expand upon our successes to date in providing care coordination, supportive housing, and employment services targeted to Veterans in greatest need. Alongside our existing Knickerbocker Veterans’ Transitional Residence and Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, this new funding will allow SUS to further defragment complex systems serving our Veterans, and engage and support over 400 Veterans per year in New York City,” said SUS Chief Executive Officer Donna Colonna.

7th Annual Charity Day

On Monday, September 12th, BGC Partners will host its 7th Annual Charity Day.  Charity Day is held every year on September 11 in memory of the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees and 61 Euro-brokers employees who were lost in the World Trade Center attacks in 2001.  It is a day when BGC commemorates those no longer with us by raising funds for charitable works worldwide.

BGC’s revenues worldwide on Charity Day are donated to selected charities, and this year, Services for the UnderServed (SUS) has been selected as a Charity Partner.  The money donated by the BGC Charity day will fund the SUS Peer Counseling Class of 2012.  The Peer Counseling program establishes the recovery power of giving back by demonstrating a multiplier-effect upon the lives of others still struggling to manage mental illness and achieve self-fulfillment.   SUS implemented this program in January 2009, and the success of the program is evidenced by the 60% placement rate and 64% job retention rate achieved by our graduates.  The power of having a person who has been there, gone through some of the same challenges and succeeded is immeasurable.  By funding the Peer Counseling Class of 2012, BGC will ensure that a group of New York’s most vulnerable citizens are able to become contributing members of society, and to harness the recovery power of giving back.

On Charity Day, celebrity ambassadors will represent SUS on the BGC trading floor. SUS has been lucky enough to secure a the following celebrity ambassadors for Charity Day – Martha Reeves, Melba Moore, Oksana Baiul, Barbara Nevins Taylor, Noah Emmerich and Patrick Harden.  We are grateful for their commitment to SUS, and to making the BGC Charity Day a success!

To learn more please visit:

http://www.bgcpartners.com/about-us/charity/

Spread the Word to End the Word

There has been much debate recently over the use of slurs that are degrading to the intellectually disabled, in particular people with Down Syndrome, in the movie The Change Up. Many who involved in the disabled community are outraged that Universal Pictures would allow such hurtful language.

It is time we Spread the Word to End the Word_™. The R-word is hurtful and degrading.  Most people don’t think of the R-word word as hate speech, but that’s exactly what it feels like to millions of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families and friends. The R-word is just as cruel and offensive as any other slur.

Up to three percent of the world’s population have intellectual disabilities – that’s 200 million people. SUS is dedicated to providing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities the opportunity to live a life of dignity, one free of the R-word.

We ask that you help us change the conversation and help eliminate the demeaning use of the R-word from today’s popular youth vernacular, and replace it with “respect.” We are asking for your help in creating a more accepting world for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and all those people that may appear different, but have unique gifts and talents to share with the world. Join SUS and make your pledge today by visiting http://www.r-word.org.

To learn more please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/user/EndtheRword

http://www.bringingthesunshine.com/2011/08/cowards-the-change-up-and-disability-slurs/

SUS Awarded $500,000 Grant From The U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded SUS a $500,000 grant, as part of their Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program, to provide care coordination for veterans in New York City. This significant award will enable SUS, in partnership with the Family Center, Inc. to provide a range of supportive services to eligible very low-income Veteran families.  SUS’ Veteran Families Care Coordination Program’s services will include outreach, case management, assistance in obtaining VA benefits, assistance in obtaining and coordinating other public benefits, and making financial assistance payments on behalf of Veterans for purposes such as rent payments, utility payments, security deposits and moving costs.

“This new homeless prevention program will provide additional comprehensive support to Veterans who have served honorably, and now find themselves in a downward spiral toward despair and homelessness,” said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki.  “This program expands our capacity to act before a Veteran becomes homeless and to target the problem of family homelessness. These grants would not have been possible without the extraordinary partnerships forged with community organizers who are firmly committed to making a positive difference in lives of Veterans and their families.”

Donna Colonna, SUS CEO, says, “SUS is honored to be part of the VA’s new SSVF program. This investment in SUS allows us to significantly expand upon our successes to date in the area of care coordination targeted to Veterans in greatest need of cash assistance, housing, employment, treatment and supportive services. Alongside our existing Knickerbocker Veterans’ Transitional Residence and Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP), this new funding will allow SUS to further defragment complex systems serving our Veterans, and engage and support over 300 Veterans per year in New York City. I also extend congratulations to fellow awardee and SUS partner HELP USA, with whom we’ll be serving over 50 single Veterans and their families living at HELP’s Genesis Neighborhood Plaza II beginning in fall 2011.”

The SSVP program will serve Veteran families at 85 non-profit community agencies in 40 states and the District of Columbia under VA’s new homeless prevention initiative and will reach approximately 22,000 Veteran families. The program is a critical element of VA’s plan to prevent and end homelessness among Veterans by providing housing stability among homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families.

For more information please visit http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2139.

Please click to donate to the SUS Veterans Fund.