It was supposed to be a year of celebration. In 2020, Breaking Ground turned 30 years old, marking a new milestone in our history of building housing and programs designed to help the most vulnerable New Yorkers overcome and avoid homelessness.
But we all know what happened next. A global health crisis the likes of which has not occurred for more than a century quickly spread around the world. Among the first places that saw community spread, with the most devastating of consequences, was New York City. Despite the historic threats that COVID presented to our staff and the people we serve, the Breaking Ground response was a galvanizing force for good.
When our partners at The Supportive Housing Network of New York worked closely with New York City to source personal protective equipment for more than 90 of the Network's members, Breaking Ground's asset management team stepped up to organize the logistics and distribution of the millions of masks, gloves, and much more that the City procured. Many providers, who had previously scrambled to source materials on their own, now had PPE for staff and tenants thanks to this herculean effort.
All of Breaking Ground's programs - our street outreach teams, drop-in center, transitional housing, and permanent housing - remained in operation throughout the pandemic. None of our programs were closed for a single day. In fact, we expanded programming during this difficult period, opening more than 120 new stabilization beds across three sites in Brooklyn and Queens, with more planned for Manhattan in 2021. These new resources helped individuals come off the streets and subways into safe, secure shelter.
And while there are still many challenges ahead, we want to pause for a moment to celebrate the work that our community of supporters enabled in 2020. We're proud to present you with our one-page 2020 Impact Report.
