With this new residence, The Doe Fund will double its capacity to serve homeless people yearning for a chance to leave the streets behind for good. The Center also increases the number of Ready, Willing & Able street-cleaning crews, enabling us to revitalize even more New York neighborhoods. Equipped with classrooms, a computer lab, a library and a medical suite, The Center, which was once a knitting mill, now represents the future of homeless services in New York City.

A long-term contract with the City of New York enabled The Doe Fund to purchase and renovate the facility. The City expressed approval at the outcome of their investment when Linda Gibbs, Commissioner of The Department of Homeless Services, described The Center on opening day as "a top notch facility with a top notch provider." At the Opening Ceremony George McDonald explained that, "This is really a question of expectations. When someone checks into the facility they expect a lot, and we expect a lot from them." Acknowledging community members, he also emphasized the ability of The Doe Fund to rejuvenate East Williamsburg's neighborhoods. Jack Hanan, Vice President of Voila Bakery, located across the street from The Center, attests to this: "Before they started construction, the neighborhood was inundated with prostitutes. There were auto break-ins and damage to cars." Jose Leon of the East Williamsburg Valley Industrial Corporation commented, "They're willing to work with us. That's all we ask."

We have always known that the way people are treated and the environments that are created for them profoundly affect how they feel about themselves and the choices they make. That is why The Peter Jay Sharp Center for Opportunity was designed to be a warm and beautiful facility that inspires respect, strong work ethics and positive thinking. It is a way upward and outward for many who have been chronically homeless. Commissioner Linda Gibbs hailed the new site as the nicest in the city and praised it for setting a new standard of excellence for the entire shelter system. "(The Center) represents the type of facility that will show clients the respect and encouragement they need to really overcome the obstacles that have made them homeless," she said.

The first 20 residents, all participants in the Ready, Willing & Able program, were present at the morning's ceremonies and issued bright blue uniforms. Maurice Thomas, 47, expressed gratitude upon moving in, saying, "The Doe Fund has given me an opportunity no one else was willing to give."

To ensure the success of its newest Ready, Willing & Able site, The Doe Fund is launching a new, on-site, pre-Ready, Willing & Able program for individuals still struggling with their sobriety and other barriers to work, making them not yet ready to enter Ready, Willing & Able. Residents who take advantage of this new program will have the benefit of both intensive services and the culture of upward mobility that permeates The Center. They will be motivated by those who are enrolled in Ready, Willing & Able, working 35-hours per week and being paid for their work, while moving toward full independence.

In partnership with The City of New York and other service providers, The Doe Fund will also now assume responsibility for the critically important processes of Assessment and Referral services for homeless people.