About
HELP USA is a national homeless services and affordable housing nonprofit headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1986, the organization works to ensure that everyone has a place to call home, providing shelter and support services that enable people to succeed as individuals, families, and communities. Today HELP USA operates more than 70 sites and programs nationwide and has supported approximately 550,000 people over four decades.
Mission
HELP USA works to ensure everyone has a place to call home by providing shelter and support services, treating housing as the foundation that enables individuals to build better lives. Its work is guided by the core values of quality, teamwork, respect, and integrity.
What they do
- Homelessness prevention, including help obtaining public benefits and support for domestic violence survivors
- Transitional housing offering safe shelter along with job training, daycare, and mental health services
- Permanent supportive housing with skill development and family support services
- Homebase, providing eviction prevention and financial counseling in the Bronx
- HELP ROADS, serving survivors of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, gender-based violence, and crime in Brooklyn
- Supportive Services for Veteran Families, assisting low-income veterans and their families at risk of homelessness
- HELP Works, comprehensive employment services helping participants obtain and sustain gainful employment
- Mental health services for families, including assessments, counseling, therapy, and medication management, plus art therapy at shelters and residences
- Youth and education programs, including Genesis Academy for ages 5 to 13 in East New York, HELP Daycare in the Bronx, and Pathways, a technology-focused education and career program for young people
History
HELP USA was founded in 1986 through a collaboration between Andrew Cuomo, later Governor of New York State, and business and government leaders. Its first facility, H.E.L.P. 1, was the first purpose-built apartment facility combining temporary housing with on-site support services and was recognized by Congress as a national demonstration model for addressing homelessness.
Scale and impact
HELP USA has grown from a single facility into a network of more than 70 sites and programs across the country, and reports having supported approximately 550,000 people since its founding. Its approach spans the full continuum from prevention through emergency shelter and supportive services to permanent affordable housing.
Governance
HELP USA is led by President and CEO Dan Lehman, with Anthony Williams serving as Board Chairman. According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, HELP USA Inc (EIN 13-3922973) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit based in New York, NY.