Government shutdown affects Elm City

Executive Director John Bradley estimated that about 60 percent of the agency’s money comes from the federal government ...

YSPH students tour New Haven’s public health pillars

About 25 Yale School of Public Health students learn about
the health services provided by Liberty Community Services,
Safe Haven Program in New Haven.

First-time event takes students to three agencies that provide essential health services.

Incoming School of Public Health students learned about the challenges and rewards of public health during a tour of three city agencies that provide essential services to New Haven residents.

Nearly 25 students took the tour Friday that included stops at the New Haven Health Department, Fairhaven Community Health Center and Liberty Community Services, Safe Haven Program. At each destination, students met with lead administrators, learned about the agency’s role and had the opportunity to ask questions about issues surrounding health and health care.

They learned that the health department provides an array of services that protect and improve health, including programs for maternal and child health and infectious diseases; Fairhaven provides vital health care to the city’s Fair Haven neighborhood, including prenatal and pediatric care; and Liberty seeks to end homelessness in the city by providing shelter for people with HIV/AIDS, mental illness and addiction.

The School’s Office of Public Health Practice (OPHP) organized the first-time trip.

Elaine O’Keefe, executive director of OPHP, said that the four-hour tour was conceived with a dual purpose. The idea was to immerse incoming M.P.H. students in “live” public health practice early on in their educational experience, right here in Yale’s host city by visiting a variety of local agencies representing different aspects of public health and community health care, and to plant seeds for internship and practicum course projects that the students might engage in during their course of study.

“Another benefit of the tour was the awareness and interest it generated for volunteer work that students might undertake with these and other local public health agencies while they are at Yale,” she said.

The students had the chance to meet with some of the city’s public health leaders, including Mario Garcia, M.P.H. ’02, director of health for the New Haven Health Department, Suzanne Lagarde, Fairhaven’s new CEO and Michael Hall and Silvia Moscariello, program directors at Liberty.

Kimberly S. Vasquez, a first-year M.P.H. student who took the tour, described it as a valuable experience.

“I truly admire their [the three agencies] contributions to the New Haven community,” she said. “I hope I can one day be involved in amazing projects, just like they are. This tour also helped me get a better sense of the dynamics and socioeconomic disparities present in the New Haven community. It is essential to understand this in order to create effective programs to uplift this community.”

Meghan Hughes, another first-year M.P.H. student who went on the tour, said that while the student participants have widely different backgrounds and goals for the future, they share a common goal of improving health.

“Where better to start than in our new backyard of New Haven?” she said. “This tour was a great introduction to the different public health related opportunities that New Haven has to offer as well as providing a glimpse into future career paths.

http://publichealth.yale.edu/news/archive/article.aspx?id=5895

Win $1,000 for Liberty Community Services!

The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is having a contest. The non-profit agency that receives the highest number of nominations before September 18th will be awarded $1,000.00. It’s that simple. The contest is a part of the promotion for the October 2nd and 3rd Great Give 2013.

The nomination process only takes a minute and there is nothing else involved. Click here to nominate Liberty Community Services, Inc.

We know the work that we do here at Liberty is important to our New Haven community and we have made a difference in the lives of thousands of individuals we have served over 26 years. We can do a lot with $1,000! It pays for one week of our Sunday Brunch where we feed 100 homeless people in New Haven every Sunday during the winter months. Please contact as many of your friends and family members as you can and ask them to help us by nominating Liberty. I know we can win if we all make a concerted effort to ask for nominations.

Thank you so much for helping Liberty win!

Liberty Bank’s Giving Circle

Sue Murphy - Executive Director, Liberty Bank Foundation
John Bradley - Executive Director Liberty Community Services
Chandler J Howard - President and CEO, Liberty Bank.

Liberty was one of five nonprofit recipients of a donation from the Liberty Bank Foundation’s Giving Circle. Liberty Bank has been a generous supporter of agencies that support the homeless. Liberty Community Services, has served this community for the past 25 years in New Haven. Our mission is to end homeless in New Haven. The donation will be used to help us to keep our Sunday Brunch for the homeless community open throughout the winter.

Liberty recently transitioned its Board leadership

Paula Crombie (President) and Joe Olender (Treasurer) ended their terms. They were thanked for their leadership and celebrated at our June Board meeting. Our new leaders are Jeff Hudson (President), Cheryl Henderson and Jim Travers (Vice-Presidents), John Wilkinson (Treasurer) and Johnny Scafidi (Secretary). We look forward to their leadership. Thanks to our volunteers who make the work we do possible.

John Bradley, Paula Crombie, and Joe Olender

John Wilkinson, Jim Travers, John Bradley, Jeff Hudson, and Johnny Scafidi

HIV remains a deadly reality in Connecticut, especially among blacks, gay men- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

HIV remains a deadly reality in Connecticut, especially among blacks, gay men- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

With hearts and minds on their sleeves

Local designers bolster city’s creative spirit
-The Arts Paper

Project STYLE 2013 Video

Project Style Rehearsal

Krista Papa, Magaly Cajigas, Leah Dudley, John Bradley, Neville Wisdom, Shana Schneider, Vivian Nabeta

Spring Fling

Ann Nyberg and Neville Wisdom Meet Liberty Residents

Five residents from Safe Haven met with Ann Nyberg and Neville Wisdom to describe Liberty on Monday night. It was a great evening to feel good about the work that Liberty does. They clients praised the staff and the programs and described the hope and progress they feel they have made with Liberty’s help. I heard it last Monday and I have heard it so many times before – “I don’t want to think what could have happened to me without Liberty’s help”

Sunday Brunch

We are grateful to all of our donors who helped us to keep the Safe Haven Sunday Brunch open until March 17th. We served 100 people from New Haven’s homeless community that day.

Project Style 2013 Tickets On Sale!

Join us on April 25th at The New Haven Lawn Club for Project Style 2013


Curated by Neville Wisdom - Fashion Designer
 
Hosted by Ann Nyberg  - News 8 Anchor

THURSDAY APRIL 25, 2013
5:30- 9:00 PM
NEW HAVEN LAWN CLUB - 193 WHITNEY AVENUE, NEW HAVEN CT 06511
 
TICKETS:
$60 - Open Seat
$75 - Front Row Seat
$100 - Stage Seat with wine and hors d'oevres
Only 20 Stage Seats available, first come first served

TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
Call 203-495-7600
Email info@libertycs.org
See Our Website on the Left Bar

Hair and Makeup Design by Rimage Salon and Spa

Sponsored by  
Yale-New Haven Hospital 
The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven 
Yale University

Thank You from John Bradley

Thank You Liberty Community

Thank you to all for your flexibility with the extreme weather event that occurred Friday through Tuesday. There appear to have been no issues from the clients’ perspective so we all owe thanks to the Securitas Guards, on-call Program Advocates, and Program Staff who covered the program sites.  Happy Valentine’s Day early.

-John Bradley, Executive Director

Ann Nyberg Interviews John Bradley: Helping the Homeless

On Wednesday January 30, 2013, Ann Nyberg's interview with Liberty's Executive Director, John Bradley aired. The interview discussed the many issues of homelessness in New Haven and the services Liberty Community Services offers to the community. Watch the video now or follow this link to read the Story on WTNH!

Liberty Stars! February 2013

Thanks to Erin, TLP Per-Diem Staff, and John Smith for letting your light shine and being a Liberty Star!

Liberty Stars are employees, clients, or community members who do something unique to assist Liberty as an organization or Liberty clients and staff. As a Liberty Star, the chosen individual has the obligation to give the star away within one month to an employee, client, or community member who assists Liberty or its staff and clients. Liberty Stars were given to Chante Austin, Frieda Atkins, Angela Avery and Ryan DeLoatch. They are now passing the Liberty stars  to. . .

Erin Laskey 
Erin is the first point of contact with the consumers that walk into the LCS offices. She greets them with a smile which aids in their ability to become relaxed and open to receive services from Liberty Community Services, Inc. Thank you Erin for being available to the consumers who come from various backgrounds and challenges.

- Chante Austin

TLP Per Diem Staff

I would like to pass the Liberty Star to seven of my co-workers who are per diem/part time staff:  Terry Sheppard, Ronda Martin, Kelly Russell, Latonia Tyson, Victoria Darden, Linda Perry, and Denise Anderson. Everyone plays an important role at TLP, in order for the program to operate 24 hours, 365 days a year, even during unfavorable conditions.  It takes all of us to create a safe and positive environment.  Terry Sheppard employed 15 or 16 years, often cooks dinner for our 12 to 16 residents.  Kelly Russell employed 6 years, overnight on Fridays and Saturdays has switched shifts many times with co-workers at his full time job to cover shifts at TLP.  Linda Perry engages the residents on Tuesdays in a card game and a group for the ladies to paint their nails.

-Frieda Atkins

John Smith

(Angela an Ryan asked John to pass their star on)- I am nominating John Smith. John has to juggle many different activities in a day and he also has to get long and be friendly with many staff and clients. He always has a smile and positive attitude and helps in any way that he can. John started with Liberty as a Program Advocate and then moved to Property Management Department and we are glad that he is now with us full-time. He knows Liberty and makes sure we have the facilities in order to do our jobs. Thank you, John. You are a star.

- John Bradley

A Call for Help!

We have enough funding to keep the Sunday Brunch open until the 17th of February. Our goal is to keep it open until March 24th, which is the first Sunday of spring. The purpose of the brunch is of course to feed the homeless community and to give them a place to be away from the inclement weather and isolation of the streets. The primary goal for us at Liberty is to engage our guests, introduce them to our services and ultimately house them. With the help of you, our supporters, we can do this. A donation of $20 will feed 5 people.

Donate online on the Liberty Home Page

3rd Annual Cut-a-Thon

Share the Love - Make a Difference!
Cut-a-Thon! $25
Rimagé Salon & Spa will open their doors to support the work of Liberty Community Services and its Sunday Brunch Program.

February 10th, Artistic Director Lenny Yanavich and his creative team of stylists will style and cut your hair for $25 ($55 value!) 

$15 Manicure or Chair Massage

Date: February 10
Place: Rimagé Salon & Spa 1210 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT 06511
Time: 11:00 - 3:00