By Sasha Gonzales and Eric Klein
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The nonprofit organization Volunteers of America-Greater New York will take over the operation of two domestic violence shelters in the Bronx, with the city ceding control amid the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities announced this month.
The city’s Human Resources Administration, which runs the facilities, is providing $30 million in funding to VOA over the next five years to take over and operate the shelters beginning in October, the organization said.
VOA’s Greater New York operation also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Montefiore’s Bronx Health Collective, which will provide primary care and mental health services at the two shelters, authorities said.
One of the facilities is an emergency domestic violence shelter, and the other a transitional shelters. Among the services available at both: behavioral health counseling, housing placement, resilience strength training, employment and vocational counseling, health and wellness programs, and on-site childcare for survivors of domestic violence and their families, according to VOA.
Emergency domestic violence shelters in New York City provide temporary housing and supportive services for up to 180 days for survivors and their families.
Transitional shelters seek to prepare families for reintegration to the community by addressing their traumatic experiences, strengthening their support systems, and supporting their progress, according to VOA.
VOA is a human services, not-for-profit organization with more than 1,200 paid staff members serving thousands of vulnerable men, women, and children across the five boroughs, Westchester County, and Northern New Jersey.
“In all of our domestic violence shelters, we work to ensure that survivors and their children have the tools and support they need to break the cycle of violence and live safely and independently in the community,” said Myung J. Lee, President and CEO of Volunteers of America-Greater New York,