Urban Resource Institute

Last updated

Urban Resource Institute (URI) is a Manhattan-based nonprofit organization that offers services for survivors of domestic violence, the homeless, and adults who have been diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. [1] Serving over 1,600 individuals annually, URI currently operates six domestic violence shelters, with over 600 beds, as well as three permanent residences for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. [1] In addition, the organization operates programs and services to empower survivors of domestic violence and provide them with therapy and legal assistance. URI also provides support services for homeless families in 2 city-run shelters. [1]

Contents

History

Urban Resource Institute was founded in 1980 as an affiliate of the Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation and expanded into domestic violence services in 1984. [2] In 1985, the organization established the Urban Center for the Developmentally Disabled. [2] Urban Resource Institute continued to expand its services for individuals struggling with addiction, with the founding of its Marguerite T. Saunders Urban Center for Alcoholism and Addiction Services in 1988. [2] In 1990, URI opened two permanent residencies for adults with developmental disabilities. [2] Through the 1990s and 2000s, URI continued to bolster its services catered toward survivors of domestic violence and adults with developmental disabilities. [2]

Nathaniel M. Fields has been the President and CEO of Urban Resource Institute since 2012, when the organization split from its affiliate and became independent. [2] [3]

URIPALS

Urban Resource Institute launched its URIPALS (People and Animals Living Safely) program in May 2013. [4] [5] URIPALS is the first program in New York and one of few in the United States that allows domestic violence survivors to live in a shelter apartment with their pets. [4] [6] Through URIPALS, survivors live in pet-friendly apartments and have access to private dog parks so they can play with their pets outside without encountering their abusers. [4] [6]

In 2015, URI published a report on the connection between domestic violence and pet ownership that drew from two years of data collected from the URIPALS program. [2]

Economic empowerment

Urban Resource Institute (URI) has several economic empowerment programs aimed at helping domestic violence survivors become self-sufficient and recover from economic abuse.

A key element of URI’s economic empowerment program is the Working Internship Network (WIN). Since 1998, WIN has successfully provided URI residents with valuable job training and internship opportunities in a variety of work settings. [7] The program also provides residents with job-skill development services, including career-readiness and financial literacy workshops. [7] Additionally, WIN includes career counseling, vocational and psychosocial assessments, job-readiness training, and resume-preparation assistance to help survivors of domestic violence secure the education and skills necessary to begin achieving financial freedom. [7]

URI’s Domestic Violence Legal Education and Advocacy Program (LEAP) provides specialized, on-site legal services to the residents of the agency’s six domestic violence shelters. [8] LEAP served 111 shelter residents in 2015. [1] LEAP provides legal advice, referrals, and assistance on family law issues, including custody, visitation, orders of protection, child support, and divorce. [8] LEAP also advocates on behalf of clients with the local police precincts and district attorneys’ offices. [8]

Homelessness programs

URI has been operating homeless shelters since 2016 and currently has shelters in Harlem and Queens. [1] The Harlem Family Residence operates as a Tier II facility, providing 32 families with transitional housing and access to support services. The program for homeless families in Queens provides safe, temporary, emergency shelter and supportive services to 56 homeless families with children.

Developmentally Disabled

URI’s Urban Center for the Developmentally Disabled (UCDD) provides one-on-one job counseling, training, placement, and job-site coaching services for individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. [1] UCDD serves individuals who have “aged out” of special education and provides transitional and supported employment opportunities and resources for adult students. [9] Urban Resource Institute also manages two residential care facilities for individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Queens. [9]

Abusive Partner Intervention Program (APIP)

The Abusive Partner Intervention Program is URI’s most recently created program. [10] It integrates a trauma-informed approach with batterer intervention services aimed at decreasing recidivism. [10] URI works with Westchester County Department of Probation, Westchester Jewish Community Services, and other agencies and organizations, to develop more trauma-informed offender services in New York State. [10] Additionally, the APIP works closely with the local Integrated Domestic Violence Court to ensure offender accountability. Individuals attend the APIP program for 65 weeks, with an at-home assignment and group session presentation each week. [10]

Related Research Articles

Supportive housing is a combination of housing and services intended as a cost-effective way to help people live more stable, productive lives, and is an active "community services and funding" stream across the United States. It was developed by different professional academics and US governmental departments that supported housing. Supportive housing is widely believed to work well for those who face the most complex challenges—individuals and families confronted with homelessness and who also have very low incomes and/or serious, persistent issues that may include substance use disorders, mental health, HIV/AIDS, chronic illness, diverse disabilities or other serious challenges to stable housing.

Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, especially in "language, mobility, learning, self-help, and independent living". Developmental disabilities can be detected early on and persist throughout an individual's lifespan. Developmental disability that affects all areas of a child's development is sometimes referred to as global developmental delay.

The Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh was founded in 1974 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and provides services for victims of domestic violence. It was one of the first six centers for domestic violence that was established in the United States. The Women's Center works in conjunction with Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, and surrounding municipalities to provide support for victims of domestic abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeless women in the United States</span> Overview of homeless women in the United States

Out of 10,000 female individuals 13 are homeless. Although studies reflect that there are many differences among women suffering homelessness and there is no universal experience, the average homeless woman is 35 years old, has children, is a member of a minority community, and has experienced homelessness more than once in their lifetime.

House Of Ruth Maryland is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1977 by a coalition of women's organizations, religious groups, service providers, and elected officials to provide a safe haven for victims of domestic violence and their children. It is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, United States and has offices throughout the state of Maryland. House of Ruth Maryland leads the fight to end violence against women and their children by confronting the attitudes, behaviors and systems that perpetuate it, and by providing victims with the services necessary to rebuild their lives safely and free of fear. Funding for House of Ruth Maryland is made possible through private (53%) and government (38%) funds, and other sources (9%) including investment income, training and client fees resulting mainly from the Gateway Project. Since its inception, The House of Ruth Maryland has served over 100,000 victims of domestic violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness</span> Living in housing that is below standard or nonexistent

Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. The general category includes many disparate situations, including:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexuality and disability</span>

Sexuality and disability is a topic regarding the sexual behavior and practices of people with disabilities, who have a range of sexual desires and differ in the ways they choose to express their sexuality. Commonly, people with disabilities lack comprehensive sex education that would assist in their sexual lives. This roots from the idea that people with disabilities are asexual in nature and are not sexually active. Although some people with disabilities are asexual, it is a misconception to label all as such. Many people with disabilities lack rights and privileges that would enable them to have intimacy and relationships. When it comes to sexuality and disability there is a sexual discourse that surrounds it. The intersection of sexuality and disability is often associated with victimization, abuse, and purity.

Research published from 2000 to 2020 illustrates increased prevalence rates of sexual violence against people with intellectual disabilities, compared to the general population.:61 The World Health Organization (WHO) funded a study which concluded that 15% of the adult population worldwide in 2012 had a disability, putting them at increased risk of physical, sexual, and intimate partner violence. Of that 15%, 6.1% or an estimated 7,008,716,704 adults worldwide had intellectual disability with 5.5% experiencing sexual violence. In another 2012 report, the WHO found that worldwide, children with intellectual disabilities experienced a 4.6 times greater risk of sexual violence than those without disability. In the United States, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported in the National Crime Victimization Survey the rate of sexual violence for those with an intellectual disability is five times higher than for those without any disability. Both men and women with intellectual disabilities experience sexual violence that includes rape, sexual coercion without physical force, and sexual experiences without physical contact. Perpetrators of sexual violence are not only strangers but can be caregivers, acquaintances, and intimate partners. The perpetrator of the assault often determines if the crime will be reported.

Disability abuse is when a person with a disability is abused physically, financially, sexually and/or psychologically due to the person having a disability. This type of abuse has also been considered a hate crime. The abuse is not limited to those who are visibly disabled or physically deformed, but also includes those with learning, intellectual and developmental disabilities or mental illnesses.

Hattie Larlham is an American nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for more than 1,600 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the state of Ohio. Services provided encompass medical, work training and employment, recreational, educational, and residential, catering to both children and adults.

South Middlesex Opportunities Council, commonly referred to as SMOC, is one of the largest private, non-profit social services groups in Eastern Massachusetts. Operating in the Metrowest region of the state, the group provides homeless shelters, drug rehabilitation programs, family counseling handicapped transportation and numerous other social services. It was founded in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Project H.O.M.E.</span>

Project HOME is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides housing, opportunities for employment, medical care and education to homeless and low-income persons in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milwaukee Rescue Mission</span>

The Milwaukee Rescue Mission (MRM) provides meals, shelter, education and recovery services to struggling men, women and children. MRM's mission statement says:

Sharing God's love by caring for those who are poor in body, mind and spirit, to see lives transformed through Christ to hope, joy and lasting productivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safe Horizon</span>

Safe Horizon, formerly the Victim Services Agency, is the largest victim services nonprofit organization in the United States, providing social services for victims of abuse and violent crime. Operating at 57 locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Safe Horizon provides social services to over 250,000 victims of violent crime and abuse and their families per year. It has over 800 employees, and has programs for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking, as well as homeless youth and the families of homicide victims. Safe Horizon's website has been accessible for the Spanish-speaking population since 2012. Safe Horizon has an annual budget of over $63 million.

Harbor House of Central Florida is a non-profit state-certified domestic violence shelter near Orlando, in Orange County, Florida. Harbor House operates a 24-hour crisis hotline, and provides counseling and a 110-bed safe shelter for women, children and men. Its activities include community outreach, legal advocacy services, and community and professional education.

Samaritans Foundation is an Australian-based charity operating in New South Wales. The organisation provides a number of social support services for the homeless and people with disabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family and Youth Services Bureau</span>

The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) is a division of the US Executive Branch under the Administration for Children and Families and the Department of Health and Human Services. The FYSB's primary purpose is to support programs for at-risk youth and their families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YAI: Seeing Beyond Disability</span>

YAI, previously known as Young Adult Institute, is an organization serving people with Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the United States. YAI launched as a pilot program at a small school in Brooklyn, New York, in February 1957. The pilot program was run by co-founders Bert MacLeech and Pearl Maze and served seven people with I/DD. Today, YAI has expanded to a team of over 4,000 employees and supports over 20,000 people in the I/DD community. YAI supports people with Autism, Down syndrome, and Cerebral palsy, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities</span>

People with disabilities are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 and have higher rates of mortality than non-disabled populations. This is especially true for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, individuals who reside in care facilities, and women with disabilities. People with disabilities are at greater risk of experiencing mental health issues related to the pandemic, such as feelings of loneliness and isolation. They may be at greater risk of domestic violence and abuse during the pandemic. People with disabilities are more likely to experience unemployment as a result of the pandemic and may require changes to the types of accommodations they require for work. Children with disabilities are experiencing disruptions to their educational programming. Remote learning poses a host of challenges for children with disabilities, including disruptions to physical and occupational therapies and access to assistive technologies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Urban Resource Institute 2015 Annual Report" (PDF).[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "History of URI - Urban Resource Institute". Urban Resource Institute. Archived from the original on 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  3. ↑ "Urban Resource Institute Appoints Nathaniel Fields as President - Urban Resource Institute". Urban Resource Institute. 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  4. 1 2 3 Newman, Andy (2016-04-14). "Where the Abused, and Their Pets, Can Be Safe". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  5. ↑ "LOOK: New York City's First Pet-Friendly Domestic Abuse Shelter". The Huffington Post. 2013-06-04. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  6. 1 2 "Manhattan's First Dog Park in Domestic Violence Shelter Opens in Harlem". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  7. 1 2 3 "Working Internship Network (WIN) - Urban Resource Institute". Urban Resource Institute. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  8. 1 2 3 "Legal Education and Advocacy Program (LEAP) - Urban Resource Institute". Urban Resource Institute. Archived from the original on 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  9. 1 2 "Developmental disabilities - Urban Resource Institute". Urban Resource Institute. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Domestic Violence Services - Urban Resource Institute". Urban Resource Institute. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.