Tour of nearby Lotus Village, the largest women’s shelter in the country providing trauma informed, evidence based, wrap around support services, including in-take sanctuary, children’s wellness center, education center, culinary center, hydroponic farm, healing hands salon, art and activities lab, yoga center, gardens, and supportive residential programs.
Welcome & Thank You’s / Video: Grettel Jiménez – Singer, Director — NWSN; Keynote: Constance Collins, Exec. Director — NWSN; NWSD Launch: Neha Gajwani, Volunteer Research Associate;
Ms. of Ceremonies: Jatericka Lamons, Lotus House Women’s Shelter Program Coordinator and Alumna
Evidence based, best practices for shelter in-take, operations, programming and supports, education, resources, and post-exit follow up addressing the gender specific needs of women and their children for effective solutions to end and prevent homelessness.
Emily Sepulveda Wheeland, Chief Executive Officer — The Delores Project
Jennifer Hanlon Wigon, Executive Director – Women’s Lunch Place
Alexis Steel, President – St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children
Stephanie Padro, Deputy Director of Clinical Services – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Jatericka Lamons, Alumna and Lotus Village Voices Podcast Host – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Walk the Walk – Basic principles and models for equity, inclusivity, diversity and peer leadership, management and mentorship in women’s shelters and programs. The why’s and how’s of building an effective team of program alumni and diverse and inclusive teams and giving voice to those with lived experience at all levels of your organization, from the Board participation to day to day operations, management, supervision and leadership of operations, programs and facilities.
Isabella Dell’Oca, Executive Director – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Sharonee Delevante, Alumna – Director of Operations – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Georgette Madison – Alumna / Asst. Director of Operations
Emily Sepulveda Wheeland, Chief Executive Officer – The Delores Project
Teresa Sanders, Chief Program Officer – YWCA Greater Cleveland
Kenyatta Brunson, President & Chief Executive Officer – N Street Village
Alexis Steel, President – St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children
Laura Klinefelter, Director of Intake and Victim Services – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Rai Johnson, Wellness Director Substance Abuse Program – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Katie O’Brien, Executive Director – Rose Haven
Kimberly Livsey, Vice president of Women and Children Services/ Clinical Director – Atlanta Women’s Rescue Mission
Shakoya Green Long, Executive Director – Thomas House Family Shelter
Patricia Bosman, Executive Director – The Haven of Grace
A social worker, community connector and catalyst for change prior to becoming the first female Mayor of Miami Dade County, the 14th largest in the United States. Mayor Levine Cava is deeply committed to addressing the special needs of women and children experiencing homelessness and an advocate for enriched resources for all children.
Simple Ways to Create a Welcoming Sanctuary – Basic principles and models for trauma formed, truly accessible, welcoming and efficient design and spaces, even (always!) on a limited budget. Features to promote accessibility for those with special strengths and needs and a cleaner, safer, healthier environment.
Katy Roth, Deputy Director of Operations and Compliance – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Laura Rossbert, COO and Supporting Housing Specialist – Shopworks Architecture
Carey Dougherty, Chief Development Officer – Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa
Kimberly Livsey, Vice President of Women and Children Services/Clinical Director – Atlanta Women’s Rescue Mission
Emily Sepulveda Wheeland, Chief Executive Officer – The Delores Project
Understanding the trauma histories of women experiencing homelessness and the need to provide holistic health and wellness supports and enriched programming to heal, advance whole health and wellness, empower and uplift women and their children. Plus, breaking down barriers to achieving financial stability and long term housing success through financial literacy, educational opportunities, job readiness training and employment assistance, and legal and social services and supports to secure and maintain needed benefits. We know there are systemic challenges and barriers to success, e.g., the absence of adequate truly affordable housing and permanent supportive housing; insufficient rental subsidies; rental subsidies that terminate before long term stability is achieved, to name a few. Here we discuss proven strategies to help program participants successfully exit the shelter system, achieve financial stability and break the cycle.
Stephanie Padro, Deputy Director of Clinical Programs – Lotus House Women’s Shelter;
Laura Klinefelter, Director of Intake and Victim Services – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
SOAR Program Benefits; Monica Vigues Pitan, Chief Executive Officer – Legal Services of Greater Miami
Olga Golik, Privacy Officer / In‑House Counsel – Citrus Health Network, Homeless Collaborations with Federally Qualified Health Centers and Community Providers for Health and Mental Health Care
Jennifer Watkins, Vice President, Emergency Shelters and Housing Problem Solving – Crossroads Rhode Island
Ashley Rogers, Director of Family and Domestic Violence Shelter Services – Crossroads Rhode Island
Geneva Comeau, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Program Director – Lotus House Women’s Shelter, (Arts and Enrichment)
Shakoya Green Long, Executive Director – Thomas House Family Shelter (Holistic Family Supports)
Heather Hilligoss, Program Director – Rose Haven
Dr. Paulo Graziano, Professor of Psychology, Center for Children and Families – Florida International University
Dr. Shana Cox, Deputy Director of Children’s Services – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Muriel Ayala, Director of Children’s Services – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Safety plans, resource guides, post-exit case management, financial supports, supportive housing and other models for long term success with effective post-exit follow up strategies.
Patricia Bosman, Executive Director – The Haven of Grace
Nicole Carnero, Clinical Director of the Families Program, Safety Plans and Exit Resource Guides, Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Amy Turk, CEO, Rental Subsidies and Post Exit Support, Downtown Women’s Center
Sandra Newson, Vice President Resident Services- CarrFour Supportive Housing
Dr. Shana Cox, Deputy Director of Children’s Services – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Panelists:
Alexis Steel, President – St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children
Shakoya Green Long, Executive Director – Thomas House Family Shelter
Saliha Nelson, Chief Executive Officer – URGENT, Inc.
Join us for an evening of delicious food, fun, networking and socializing by the water at the historic Miami Yacht Club. Dress is casual and swimsuits welcome.
Beatrice Gonzalez, Director and CFO – Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Tadd Schwartz, President – Schwartz Media
Alexis Steel, President – St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children
Ronide Blanc, Director – Lotus House Thrift
Amy Turk, CEO – Downtown Women’s Center
Tara Armbruster, Executive Director – McKemie Place; Kenyatta Brunson, President & Chief Executive Officer – N Street Village
Learn how a strategic combination of establishing endowments, charitable funding and new market tax credit financing can help you develop new or redevelop aging shelters into state-of-the-art facilities offering comprehensive supportive services. Joint presentation by national new market tax credit experts.
Constance Collins, President, Lotus Endowment Fund, Inc.
Debbie Kleban, Esquire, Applegate Thorne -Thompsen
Tony Smith, Partner/Executive Vice President, SB Friedman Development Advisors, LLC
Jennifer Westerbeck, Vice President, US Bancorp Community Development Corporation
Kevin Byrne, Chief Executive Officer – The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation
This session will present some of the most innovative legislative, philanthropic, and public private partnership initiatives to end homelessness in the country. Learn from experts about: Miami-Dade County’s establishment of a homeless trust to fund shelter, supportive services and housing initiatives; the establishment of a county wide children’s trust to support the needs of vulnerable children; and New York’s judicially established right to shelter and the funding that flowed to shelter vulnerable women and children; and utilizing Federal low income tax credit financing for permanent housing.
Constance Collins, NWSN Executive Director
Stephanie Berman, Chief Executive Officer, CarrFour Supportive Housing
Ron Book, Esq., Chairman, Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust
Joshua Goldfein, Esq., Legal-Aid, New York
Lori Hanson, Ph.D., Chief Evaluation, Research and Strategic Planning Officer, Miami-Dade County Children’s Trust
Catherine Trapinni, Executive Director, Homeless Services United.
Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, actress,
and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been named one of the Top 100 greatest artists of all time by both VH1 and Billboard.
Policies and Procedures; Talent; Resources; Oversight, Monitoring and Continuous Quality Improvement, Succession Planning; Cross Training & Benefits of Becoming CARF Accredited.
Katy Roth, Deputy Director of Operations and Compliance, Lotus House Women’s Shelter
Gloria Lee, Chief Program Officer – Our Lady’s Inn; Belinda James, MSW and LCSW, Director of Counseling – Our Lady’s Inn
Meredith Damboise, Chief Quality and Compliance Officer – New Reach, Inc.
Chasity Chamberlin, Managing Director – CARF Representative
Open Forum with Breakout Tables for Sharing and Innovation – Pick and Choose: Each table has leaders, large pads to share ideas and innovation, the pads are posted for everyone to rotate and look at, and content typed up and shared for attendees; 20 Minutes per Table.
Amy Turk, CEO – Downtown Women’s Center
Tour of nearby Lotus Village, the largest women’s shelter in the country providing trauma informed, evidence based, wrap around support services, including in-take sanctuary, children’s wellness center, education center, culinary center, hydroponic farm, healing hands salon, art and activities lab, yoga center, gardens, and supportive residential programs.
*As a member of the NWSN, we are waving your registration fee, but spaces are limited. REGISTER TODAY!
Please consider making a donation to help cover the expenses and discounted hotel.
