(MENAFNEditorial)
For Immediate Release Contact: Robert Friant
February 17 2015 robert.friant@csh.org
212-986-2966 x245
HARTFORD CT – CSH a national nonprofit committed to advancing solutions that use housing as a platform for services to improve the lives of vulnerable people has named Larry Oaks as director of its growing initiatives in New England and current operations in Connecticut.
“CSH is proud to have someone of Larry’s caliber add his expertise to our team of professionals in New England” said Ryan Moser Eastern Region Managing Director for CSH. “The demand for supportive housing and our assistance in helping communities and providers create it is expanding throughout the region and Larry has the background to take our efforts to the next level.”
According to Moser CSH has long had a presence in the New England region promoting and increasing the development of supportive housing solutions – proven cost-effective interventions that reduce chronic (longer-term/recurring) homelessness and address the needs of many other vulnerable people such as frequent users of healthcare services veterans who are homeless mentally ill persons leaving state institutions and those reentering communities from jails or prisons. Supportive housing links affordable housing to sustained community-based services intended to meet the often complex needs of those individuals and families experiencing housing instability.
“I am excited to join the industry leader in supportive housing” said Oaks. “Communities in Connecticut Massachusetts New Hampshire and Maine have become part of our push to create more supportive housing and we expect the numbers to grow as we see more successful outcomes across New England.”
Mr. Oaks has worked in the supportive housing and affordable housing development industries for over 20 years holding key management positions. (Full Oaks’ Biography.) He is very familiar with the New England region and network of providers and advocates. Mr. Oaks also worked as a consultant for CSH with a focus on expanding supportive housing in the greater Massachusetts area. As Director in New England he will supervise the CSH office in Connecticut and focus on advancing the recently-minted Massachusetts Pay for Success initiative with our partners – the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley Santander Bank and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Oaks and his family reside in New England.
Mr. Oaks assumes the CSH New England leadership role from Sarah Gallagher who joined CSH as Director in Connecticut in 2010. Under her tenure the size and scope of CSH work in the region grew with new government contracts and groundbreaking approaches to products like the Medicaid Institute. Ms. Gallagher also managed CSH’s increasingly successful project tied to the National Social Innovation Fund (SIF).
With the backing of the federal government and philanthropic partners the CSH Social Innovation Fund is integrating housing with health services to house improve outcomes and reduce costs among those with complex health needs who are experiencing homelessness. These individuals are often high-cost consumers (frequent users) of publicly-funded healthcare services.
CSH aims to demonstrate how supportive housing can break the expensive cycle that sees homeless people repeatedly encountering institutional systems – hospitals jails detox facilities and crisis care services – without any marked improvement in their long-term health and stability. These men and women are often referred to as the 5:50 population – the 5% of beneficiaries who represent 50% of the costs – and their disproportionate share is due to the fact that homelessness exacerbates health issues limits access to care and inhibits healthy behaviors.
To date the CSH Social Innovation Fund has housed more than 476 formerly homeless people with a goal of housing 73 more by 2017. A solid 91% have remained housed and 85% have acquired primary healthcare services reducing their regular visits to hospital emergency departments and other crisis care facilities.
Ms. Gallagher now moves to the CSH Government Affairs & Innovations team as Director of Strategic Initiatives.
“Sarah has earned a national reputation for taking the Social Innovation Fund to the point of maturity where it is now showing very promising results” said Andy McMahon head of CSH Government Affairs & Innovations. “In her new position Sarah will continue leading our Social Innovation Fund and also will seek ways to increase the scale and replication of current and new national initiatives.”
In welcoming her new position Gallagher also expressed her attachment to CSH staff partners supporters and funders in Connecticut and New England.
"While I am extremely excited to be taking on new challenges Connecticut will always have a special place in my heart and I will continue to be based here" said Gallagher. "Fortunately in my new role I will have the opportunity to be connected to the work in Connecticut through the Social Innovation Fund and other innovations involving health and housing integration work."
More information about CSH is available at www.csh.org. And you can watch our video at https://vimeo.com/51536398
Current and former funders-supporters of CSH efforts in Connecticut and the rest of New England region include: Bank of America; Community Foundation of Greater New Haven; Connecticut Department of Corrections; Connecticut Department of Housing; Connecticut Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services; Connecticut Health Foundation; Connecticut Housing Finance Authority Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation; Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; Liberty Bank Foundation Melville Charitable Trust; New Haven Home Recovery Inc.; Niles Foundation; and People’s United Bank.
###
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.