Rochester, NY – A press conference will be held at 11:30 am on September 26, 2012, on the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (CRCDS) campus to officially announce the opening of a new residential unit for veterans who are part of a program to overcome homelessness.

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, Mayor Thomas Richards and CRCDS President Rev. Marvin A. McMickle, Ph.D., will speak at the event. Stuart Mitchell, CEO of PathStone Development Corporation and Chair of the Board of Trustees of CRCDS, will lead the ceremony.

The program is a collaborative partnership involving CRCDS, Tempro Development Corporation (Tempro) and the Veterans Outreach Center (VOC) aimed at the successful reintegration of veterans who have experienced a period of homelessness post-service.

The project is an initiative of Tempro, the homeless housing agency of Temple B’Rith Kodesh in Brighton, and CRCDS. It is designed to support veterans in achieving stability and independence following experiences of homelessness upon returning from service in Vietnam, or more recently, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The twelve residential units, once apartments for CRCDS students and their families, will now provide housing for veterans through a US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant of $552,654 secured by the collaborating organizations. The apartments will continue to be owned and operated by CRCDS. Christa Development Corporation, VP Plumbing Supply and IEC Electronics will donate services to provide handicap accessibility to the housing unit.

Providing opportunities for the spiritual development of the residents is a key feature of the project. Through a $16,900 grant from the Farash Foundation awarded to CRCDS, the school will host a conference in the Fall of 2013 that will bring together organizations involved in the care of veterans throughout western New York to explore the role of spirituality and pastoral care of veterans returning from service.

The grant also provides funding for the integration of the residents into the immediate community through a series of meal gatherings, events and an ongoing book club. CRCDS students will have diverse opportunities to continue their ministerial education and training by working with the veterans in residence through these activities.

Scaffolding a healthy and positive return to community living for each participant in the program is the overall goal of this collaboration.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERVIEW

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, U.S. House of Representatives
Mayor Thomas Richards, City of Rochester
Rev. Marvin A. McMickle, Ph.D., President, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School

For more information, please contact Chris White, Director of Communications, CRCDS at (585)290-0498 or by email.

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