The New York Life Foundation recently awarded a $53,000 grant to Safe Horizon, an organization that provides assistance to victims of violence and abuse headquartered in Lower Manhattan. The money will be applied to their Streetwork Program, which offers support for homeless children and young adults up to the age of 24. Streetwork’s two drop-in centers, one of which is located at 33 Essex St. on the Lower East Side, provide free legal and medical services, counseling, advocacy, hot meals and showers, wellness activities, and G.E.D. preparation for about 1,700 people each year.
David Nish, director of the Streetwork Program, said the grant is “incredibly helpful in these hard times” during which the program has seen a record number of youths in need of help. “We work with a nonjudgmental approach to empower [young people] to work towards independence and, ultimately, help them lead productive lives,” he said. “Every penny of this money will be used towards improving their immediate safety, health and well-being, and self-esteem.”
