Member News

Nov 10

Originally Appeared in: The Albany Business Review
October 25, 2024
By Anthem Blue Cross

Joseph’s House & Shelter has been selected by Anthem Blue Cross as a 2024 Whole Health Hero. The Anthem Whole Health Hero is an award given to organizations that have demonstrated innovation and leadership in building the whole health of the Capital region. Read on to learn more about Joseph’s House & Shelter in a Q&A with Frank Sainato, director of development.

What is the mission statement of your organization?

Frank Sainato: Our mission is to provide non-judgmental services to end homelessness.

What are your organization’s goals?

Sainato: Joseph’s House and Shelter is a community-based nonprofit corporation that provides a continuum of homeless services to residents of the Capital Region. We offer emergency shelter, street outreach, and support services to homeless and formerly homeless individuals and families. Our goal every day is to offer non-judgmental services where each guest’s dignity and worth are recognized and respected. We work in furtherance of a vision for a community where everyone has safe and affordable housing.

What is the history of your organization?

Sainato: Joseph’s House and Shelter was incorporated in 1983 by Sister Rita Shawn in an effort to address the needs of Troy’s increasing homeless community. Since then, the agency has grown into a secular 501(c)(3) organization, operating programs addressing the full spectrum of homelessness. The agency serves both Albany and Rensselaer counties from its five facilities and mobile outreach services programming.

What services does your organization provide to the community?

Sainato: Joseph's House & Shelter provides non-judgmental services to end homelessness, including: outreach services, emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, prison re-entry, coordinated entry, and permanent supported housing. We support neighbors with histories of chronic homelessness and permanent disabilities, helping them maintain stable housing for themselves and their families through our Bethune Program and three Supported Housing facilities. Our housing first ethos prioritizes the basic human need for shelter while our values around self-sufficiency and respecting capacity ensure dignity and consent.

What impact do your services have on the community?

Sainato: As our communities' housing costs trend upward, substance use challenges evolve and policy landscape develops in response to these changes, Joseph's House & Shelter provides consistent support for those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in the Capital region. Thanks to our work the public health crises that homelessness can present to a neighborhood are largely mitigated, and those we work with often end up successfully placed into a stable housing situation.

What volunteer opportunities are available?

Sainato: As we enter both the holiday and Code Blue season, Joseph's House and Shelter could use support in ensuring our program costs are fully met. We are recruiting community ambassadors to help us hit our end of year fundraising goals; those interested in sustaining the housing safety net that Joseph's House and Shelter provides the Capital region should reach out to our Development Director Frank Sainato at [email protected].

What fundraising events does your organization have in the next 12 months?

Sainato: The Winter Gathering; December 5, 2024; The Franklin Terrace, 126 Campbell Ave., Troy, New York. The Winter Gathering is our biggest night of the year. Together, we celebrate the holidays and recommit to the work of ending homelessness for local families.

Top executive

Amy LaFountain, Executive Director, [email protected]

Board members

• Jessica Budris, Dolby Laboratories

• Margaret O’Connell Willard, Ret.

• Joseph A. Glazer, ESQ, Westchester County

• Cecilia Hassett, ESQ, NYS Governor’s Office of Employee Relations

• Robert Vanderbles, ESQ, NYS Department of State

• Sr. Jeanne Marie Gocha, CSJ, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet

• Kevin Juin, JC Capital Partners

• Richard Kiernan, Grace Fellowship

• Scott Film, Scott Film Realty, LLC

• Rory Costello, KPMG

• Erika L. Endres

• Jim McGrath, Ret.

• Adam Weber, GlobalFoundries

• Tiara Springer-Love, NYS Office of Mental Health

What geographic areas does your organization serve?

Joseph's House & Shelter serves Rensselaer and Albany counties.