| Peter's
Place:
Meeting the Needs of Frail and Elderly Homeless
Adults
Peter’s Place is New York City’s
only 24-hour, multi-service center for older and frail homeless men
and women. Located on West 23rd Street in Manhattan, Peter’s
Place serves over 125 homeless older adults each day.
Fearful of the city’s shelter system,
many older homeless adults have lived on the streets for years. For most,
the rigors of street life exacerbate the typical health problems associated
with aging to create a precarious existence. Many seniors have multiple
medical and mental health problems |
 |
Named for The Partnership’s founder, Peter Smith, Peter’s
Place provides a continuum of care that encourages clients to reach their
highest possible level of independent living. Care begins with meeting such
basic needs as hot meals, clean clothes, showers, and emergency shelter. The
program provides on-site medical and psychiatric care, counseling, and help
with entitlements and legal issues. Peter’s Place
also offers recreation and learning opportunities, including a computer center.
Our Art and Recreation Therapy program includes workshops
and classes in a variety of art media, performances, story-telling and exhibitions.
Peter’s Place is often the first
refuge of older homeless people who have been living on the street for years.
Our Geriatric Street Outreach team focuses on reaching
out to elderly homeless adults citywide and connecting them to the services
offered at Peter’s Place.
The Transitions program at Peter’s
Place helps clients make a successful move from homelessness to independent
living. Many seniors who have been homeless for years cannot adjust easily to
maintaining a home; for others alcohol and drug abuse issues return under the
stress of trying to manage independent lives. Transitions
provides a systematic framework for assessing a client’s readiness and
individual needs, setting realistic goals, designing a plan to remove barriers
to success, providing an array of supports and training, and developing an individualized
program of follow-up and continued support after independence is achieved.
Seniors who are able to work can take advantage of The Partnership’s
Senior AIDES Program,
which provides employment training through paid internships in the non-profit
and public sectors.
The Partnership is working to create the Transitional Living
Community for Homeless Veterans at St. Luke’s in the South Bronx. This
center will house 15 guests at a time and will provide an array of social services
and support to help these men make a successful transition to permanent housing.