LeadingAge New York Adviser Winter Vol. 1 | Page 35

(continued from page 33)

Conversations are key to creating a better future.
Look to community partners, look at regulatory
barriers. The big systems need to talk to each
other just like DOH needs to talk to the New York
State Office of for the Aging (NYSOFA) and OPWDD
and private providers. There’s a role we can play;
we know what to do, we just need to be properly
funded and be allowed to be innovative and
creative without so many barriers.
So if I had to ask you what’s the one thing
that keeps you up at night, what would it be?
All those people that are on our waiting list for
safe, affordable housing. I know the model works
for the seniors we are already serving but what
are all those other people doing? We’re not only
a housing agency. We’re a human service agency
that does housing. We’re the landlord but we also
take great interest in our tenants and what we
can do to provide them quality services and not
just the roof to make sure they’re safe.
Do you have one specific success story?
I love my Libby story! I had a woman who was
living in such sub-standard housing. She had a life
tenancy in her home from her husband who had
passed but few repairs had been made and it was
really just a terrible situation. She watched one
of our buildings be built and she kept calling and
saying she wanted to get on the list. She knew
just what apartment she wanted. As it turned out,
she was high on the waiting list so she was able
to choose her dream apartment, which was right

under an oak tree. She was such a sweetheart
and become such a part of the community.
She had a four- pronged walker that she would
decorate for different holidays. She happily
participated in the many activities the complex
offered. Her family was incredibly appreciative
and every time I saw her she would say tell me
how happy she was with her new home. Then
her daughter turned 62 and she was also moved
in. So we had Libby living in one apartment, her
daughter living in another. It was amazing. The
woman went from this horrible existence with no
money and no ability to fix her environment or do
anything to a fantastic life. The last 10 years of
her life were fabulous. I think of her so often, I still
picture her, and that’s what it’s all about.
The beauty of the Libby story is that she was so
incredibly appreciative and when she got that
opportunity to have a nice place to live, she took
advantage of everything else that was there and
just lived life, always with a smile on her face.
She was like the poster child of success. And in
spite of the many roadblocks in each new project
we undertake, we think of her and keep going
because there are a lot of people like Libby out
there. That’s what keeps us going.
There are a lot of organizations like People, Inc.
out there that can work collaboratively to solve
situations for people like Libby, working together.
We’re not in competition with one another, we
need to share our successes and share our
resources. We’re all here to help people.

leadingageny.org 34