What We Do

Practice of Peace is a New York City-based nonprofit that combines longstanding work sheltering people experiencing homelessness, both American homeless and asylum seekers, with a deep commitment to addressing the mental health factors contributing to homelessness and trauma using Health Realization principles.

Our primary focus is on housing and community development. Over time, we've had various community development projects in the pipeline to provide transitional, emergency, and permanent affordable or supportive housing with continued strategic planning to expand our community development efforts.

Housing Services

Emergency Shelters: Including 50 units for LGBTQI homeless residents. Average stay varies based on individual needs.
Transitional Housing: Assisting residents in moving towards permanent housing. Typical average stay: 6 - 24 months.
Permanent Supportive Housing: Long-term solutions for stable living. Ongoing support as needed.
Affordable Housing: 300 future units for families and singles, including those with substance abuse and justice-related issues.

Populations Served

Families: 3,000 units representing 10,500 families in substandard housing.
Persons with HIV/AIDS: 100 individuals.
Elderly Living with Adult Children: 200 individuals.
Individuals with Substance Abuse & Justice-Related Issues: 300 families in substandard housing.
LGBTQI Homeless Residents: 200 individuals in emergency housing served annually.
Homeless Veterans and Domestic Violence Survivors: 10 single apartments + 36 homeless family apartments.
Migrant Individuals & Families: 200 individuals, 600 family members/children.

Supports and Services

POP's shelters are in hotels, and families are living in hotel rooms. The hotel owners provide basic services such as basic housekeeping, repairs, and cleaning services. Services POP coordinates and facilitates include:

Basic Needs Support

Food assistance (food pantries/vendors that provide nutritious meals); personal care items; new and donated clothing and goods; access to laundry; health insurance enrollment and access to medical, primary health, behavioral, and substance abuse treatment programs.

Case Management & Support

Access to mental health counseling and therapy; medical services provided through established partners; substance abuse counseling and rehab; legal services (housing and benefits); financial counseling and budgeting assistance.

Paperwork Assistance

Help with the completion of asylum and housing applications; assistance with immigration appointments, change of address, obtaining lost documents, etc.

Employment & Education

School enrollment and transportation; referrals to job training and employment placement assistance (resume building and interview preparation); access to education and literacy programs; access to computer and internet resources.

Outreach & Engagement

School enrollment and transportation; ESL classes; mobile health clinics; access to local community resources and organizations, i.e. daycare; help completing asylum & housing applications.

Reintegration & Transportation

Family reintegration support; life skills training and parenting; community reintegration; finding a safety net of services.

A Closer Look

at the lives of the people we serve

Juan Rivera is an American citizen, age 35 who found himself homeless and being sheltered at the Magna Hotel when Practice of Peace Foundation Inc. (POP) took over the facility.

Juan initially felt disregarded and ignored due to the arrival of the asylum seekers in the facility. Most would say he was unapproachable. However, with experienced POP staff, Juan was reminded of all he had already accomplished: having maintained steady employment for a year and a half. The experienced POP case manager he spoke with offered him POP services which included assisting him with obtaining permanent housing.

Trust was gained and Juan shared his challenges. He was taught to exercise a methodology (when facing adversities, use 90% mental and 10% physical) to cope with his feelings of anger and frustration throughout his process. He later shared he was even handling matters differently at work.

Within a month, POP case managers provided Juan with his CITYFHEPS voucher. Juan shortly thereafter was relocated as the Magna Hotel site was converted to a Family with Children site. However, Juan stayed in touch with POP Staff and they continued to support Juan, who eventually obtained a new apartment! A collaborative effort between POP, a city housing agency, and HRA proved effective in this case.

Recently the POP Director of Social Services ran into Juan. He was so excited to see her and thanked POP for teaching him to be patient; using the 90% mental rather than 10% physical, and how he avoids negativity in his life. Juan wants his story to be shared to encourage others and show the work being done by Practice of Peace Foundation.

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Juan's Apartment

Through a contract with the New York DHS (Department of Homeless Services), Practice of Peace runs shelters in Queens and the Bronx in two hotel properties made available through the New York Hotel Association, housing asylum seekers from Latin America (Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia) with a handful of Russian and Senegalese families as well.

The shelter communities are about 90% Spanish speaking, and few adults speak English. Families typically stay for about a year. Their stays are not time-limited, with school schedules defining the calendars for many families.

Many asylum seekers experience jarring culture shock. The four seasons in New York are unfamiliar, the money is unfamiliar, the food tastes different, and in the shelter, they can't cook for themselves. Uses of technology are different, public transportation without command of the English language is overwhelming, cultural norms around parenting are different, and on top of that, many arrive with significant trauma.

POP has a "good neighbor" policy in the communities where buildings are located that allows adults to be introduced to local businesses so that they can secure employment -- as street vendors, delivery drivers, house cleaners, and in home repair, restaurant work, or automotive repair. Workers typically navigate long and unpredictable work hours. They lean on one another for support, pooling resources to tackle childcare and logistical challenges. This sense of solidarity extends to a shelter-wide WhatsApp group chat, fostering connectivity and mutual aid among residents.

Support Our Work

We aim to reintegrate our fellow citizens who have faced homelessness, adversity, and childhood trauma challenges back into the fabric of society as thriving, engaged, and quality citizens.

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Practice of Peace Foundation, Inc.