In the Forefront: Assessing Public Housing Needs for Persons with Disabilities
Main Article Content
Keywords
Persons with disabilities, public housing, assessment, quantitative measures, advocacy, community empowerment, public policy
Abstract
Individuals living in low-income and marginalized communities often experience access issues when it comes to advocating for community resources and services, especially those services assisting people with disabilities (Anderson, Hergenrather, & Jones, 2021). Developing solutions with all stakeholders empowers individuals to help direct available resources towards new opportunities and professional development (Browne, Hackett, & Burger, 2017; Kennedy, 2018). Current research has also pointed to the importance of stakeholder engagement in public housing research (Mouratidis, 2020). In light of this information, there has been a paucity of disability research in a community center environment. Furthermore, residents with disabilities may face even greater obstacles acquiring services and advocating for their needs (Park, Cho, & Chen, 2019).
This research employed a quantitative approach to capture insights from community residents about their perceived needs of the community. Overall identification of needs was conducted to understand the needs of residents with disabilities and residents without disabilities. For residents with disabilities, the programs that were ranked highest in need were community projects, age-focused programs, and health related programs. For respondents without disabilities, the highest perception of need was for employment programs, and age-focused programs. These findings offer suggestions for future programming, policies and research.
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G. Lawrence Farmer, Fordham University
G. Lawrence Farmer, MSW, PhD is a Full Professor and Director of the Doctoral
Program at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service. His scholarly
interests center on understanding those factors that promote the well-being of youth. He
has published work in Social Service Review, Children and Schools, Journal of Human
Behavior in the Social Environment and Social Work in Health Care, and Journal of
Social Service Research. Two of the projects he is presently involved in, Resilient
Scholars and Westchester Building the Future, seeks to promote youth’s well-being. Both
projects seek to increase protective and promotive factors by transforming institutions
that provide services to youth. The Resilient Scholars Program seeks to promote positive
youth development by developing the social and emotional learning competencies of
middle and high school students. Additionally, it seeks to develop a program
implementation model that will build schools' capability to implement youth-centered
interventions that will be sustained overtime. The Westchester Building the Future
project is a collaboration between the Westchester County Department of Social Services,
Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health and Fordham University
to restructure services to youth transitioning out of the foster care system. The goal is to
empower youth in their efforts to successfully navigate the transition and to achieve
changes in the system of care for youth in the system.
Henry J. Davis, Fordham University
Dr. Henry J. Davis is the Director of Programs and Research at Fordham University's Ravazzin Center on Aging and Intergenerational Studies. He helps manage grant-related
initiatives, conduct quantitative and qualitative research, and develop interventions for in-
need populations. Dr. Davis holds a PhD in Educational Leadership, Administration, and
Policy from Fordham University. He has significant experience in program management
and leadership development from his roles at Fordham and CUNY Queensborough
Community College. His recent publications in the Review of Disability Studies and
Social Work in Health Care highlights his focus on empowering others through rigorous
research.
Janna C. Heyman, Fordham University
Dr. Janna Heyman is Professor at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service
and the Endowed Chair of the Henry C. Ravazzin Center on Aging and Intergenerational
Studies. She holds both her PhD and Master of Social Work from Fordham University.
Recently, Dr. Heyman received 10 external research grants, totaling over $3 million and was awarded the Outstanding Externally Funded Award in Social Service Research by Fordham University. These grants touched the lives of individuals throughout their lifespan, including youth, families, adults, and older adults. Her recent book, co-edited with Dr. Congress, is Health and Social Work: Practice, Policy and
Research. Dr. Heyman is a Fellow at the New York Academy of Medicine.
Susan Matloff-Nieves, Goddard Riverside Community Center
Susan Matloff-Nieves, LMSW is Vice President for Innovation and Justice at Goddard Riverside
in New York City. For over 40 years, Susan has held leadership positions in the social service
and government sectors with a focus on public housing, youth, and holistic approaches. A
published author on youth work and social justice, she has published with Sage, Routledge,
Taylor and Francis and several peer-reviewed periodicals. Susan holds a master's degree in
social work with a concentration in Community Organizing She has taught as an Adjunct
Professor at the CUNY School of Professional Studies Youth and Silberman School of Social
Work and has supervised social work interns since 1987.
Peggy L. Kelly, Purchase College, SUNY
Dr. Peggy Kelly is currently Project Director at Purchase College, SUNY, and was
previously Research Director at the Ravazzin Center on Aging and Intergenerational
Studies at Fordham University. Peggy holds a PhD in Social Work from Fordham
University's Graduate School of Social Service.
Smita Dewan, New York City College of Technology, CUNY
Dr. Smita Ekka Dewan is an Assistant Professor of Human Services at New York City
College of Technology, CUNY and an Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School of
Social Service, Fordham University. Her area of research is social work with Immigrants
and Refugees, International Social Work, Human rights and Social Justice and Program
Evaluation. She has published and presented on the topics of human trafficking, violence
against women, human rights, and feminist theory.
Nancy Wackstein , Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
Nancy Wackstein has been the Executive Director of Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, a
Manhattan settlement house, for 11 years. She previously served as Director of the NYC
Mayor’s Office on Homelessness and SRO Housing (1990-91) under Mayor David N.
Dinkins and was a Senior Policy Advisor for Human Services in the Manhattan Borough
President’s Office from 1986-1989. Throughout her career, Ms. Wackstein has been
active on numerous nonprofit boards and NYC government task forces and commissions.
She holds a bachelor's degree from Binghamton University, SUNY, where she was
elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and a master's degree from the Columbia University School of
Social Work (CUSSW). She was inducted into the CUSSW Hall of Fame in 2009 and
awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Binghamton University in 2013.
Dalys Castro, Goddard Riverside Community Center
Dalys Castro graduated from the City College of New York with a BA in Psychology in
the 1990s and later earned a master’s degree in Youth Studies from the CUNY School of
Professional Studies in 2021, completing the program virtually during the pandemic. She
has been dedicated to youth work since 1992, beginning as a Youth Worker in settlement
houses and progressing to roles such as Group Leader and supervisor of Afterschool and
Teen Programming at the Queens Community House. From 2004 to 2017, Dalys worked
with culturally diverse new immigrant students in a Queens high school. A native New
Yorker, she is passionate about youth work and aspires to explore the world.