The Doe Fund Raises $1.5 Million at Gala
The Doe Fund celebrated nearly four decades of impact addressing homelessness — including its Ready, Willing & Able program and its portfolio of more than one million square feet of transitional, affordable, and supportive housing throughout New York City — at Midtown Manhattan’s Gotham Hall yesterday.
The event, BluePrint for Tomorrow, showcased The Doe Fund’s vision to provide innovative solutions to homelessness, recidivism, lack of economic opportunity, and the affordable housing crisis. Core to that vision is enhancing the organization’s programs, developing pathways for participants to achieve good-paying careers in high-demand fields, building more affordable and supportive housing, and expanding its programmatic offerings to residents of that housing.
The Doe Fund announced new initiatives to meet this vision at the gala. It has begun plans to bring its Ready, Willing & Able model — which provides people experiencing homelessness with paid transitional work experience, career readiness, vocational programs, and other supportive services — into its housing portfolio. Ready, Willing & Able also launched new trainings for high-demand emerging industries such as HVAC and solar panel installation.
Speakers included Cheryl Wills, Emmy Award-winning journalist and anchor from Spectrum NY1; Jennifer Mitchell, President and CEO of The Doe Fund; Nicole Seligman, Chair of The Doe Fund’s Board of Directors; David A. Goldstein, Managing Partner of Goldstein Hall and a champion of affordable housing; David Stewart, a graduate of Ready, Willing and Able; and Ameena Johnson, a tenant living in The Doe Fund’s supportive housing.
The event drew nearly 400 attendees, including Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Park, Department of Social Services Agency Administrator Joslyn Carter, First Deputy Commissioner and Chief Diversity Officer at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Ahmed Tigani, and other leaders in finance, real estate, politics, media, and philanthropy.
More photos are available here.
“Times like these underscore the importance of unity and our shared humanity — values we live out every day at The Doe Fund. Our purpose has always been to bring people together, to lift each other up, and to make a real difference in the lives of New Yorkers who need us most,” said Jennifer Mitchell, President and CEO of The Doe Fund. “Every day, we bridge divides by providing safe places to call home, equipping people with the skills to build lasting careers, and fostering a community where everyone has a chance to thrive. The Doe Fund has been showing up for New Yorkers for nearly 40 years.”
“It’s easy to feel exhausted and uncertain about the future. Deflated by the headlines, the sense that crises like homelessness are intractable,” said Cheryl Wills, who hosted BluePrint for Tomorrow and received The Doe Fund’s Founders Award at the gala. “But we know better. That’s why it’s so inspiring to see the power of community in full display here. Tonight, all of us come together with a common purpose: building a future filled with opportunity.”
David Stewart said of his time in Ready, Willing & Able, “Thanks to the skills I learned in my classes, I was hired as a Peer Advocate by a social services organization. Now, I help others overcome addiction and homelessness, just like the staff of Ready, Willing & Able helped me. The Doe Fund also set me up with an apartment, where I still live today. At 55, I finally had a place with my name on the lease and my name on the bills. I think Ready, Willing & Able graduates are the only people in the world who are happy about their names being on bills!”
Ameena Johnson, who moved into a Doe Fund residence from a women’s shelter in 2016, said, “I’ve worked hard all my life. What I needed was stability and support. Living here allowed me to focus on my career and pursue my degree. It also saved my life. Six months after I moved in, my doctor discovered I had a serious brain condition and they needed to operate immediately. In my time of need, my fellow tenants stepped up. They came to visit every single day, brought me food, drove me to and from my appointments, and spent endless hours just being there for me at the hospital. It goes to show that the people in Doe Fund housing are there for each other.”
