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3 Anna Barnes makes Kenmore Her Home “Being homeless and living in the shelter at Kingsbridge really did a lot to me. I was very depressed – I had never been homeless before. When I moved from Kingsbridge in the Bronx to the George Daily House in the city it was much better, but then when they told me that I was coming to the Kenmore I was so happy, but I never knew just how happy I would be. Now I am ecstatic to be able to live and work here."‿ Anna Barnes, lives at Kenmore Hall and is employed as a floor assistant. anna_barnes2.jpg

5 James B. - The Narragansett In 2000, James was diagnosed with HIV. A resident of the Narragansett since 2002, James now has full blown AIDS. Born and raised in South Carolina, James, a thoroughbred race horse trainer, traveled the country following his passion for horses. When his mother passed away four years ago, James found himself homeless. When James arrived at the Narragansett he was struggling with addictions to alcohol and cocaine, and after much hesitation, he revealed to his case worker that he could not read or write. With the support and guidance of the Narragansett management and social service staff, James is maintaining sobriety and is now able to read and write. James has replaced the pain of his addictions and embarrassment over his literacy level with pride in his accomplishments and hope for his future. (Photo of James B. speaking at HSI's 2005 Gala) 2005 Gala Client speaker.jpg

7 Richard Calabrese - Kenmore Hall Fifteen years ago, the place that today is known as Kenmore Hall was a single-room occupancy hotel, or SRO, that Richard Calabrese recalls as being more like a jungle, where fear ruled and the strong oppressed the weak. “This place was horrible back then,� Calabrese recalled. “The old people lived in constant fear of being robbed, mugged or even murdered inside the hallways of their own building.� For Calabrese, the normalcy of life in those days was all relative. For the former Eatontown, N.J., firefighter, the last home he’d had before moving into the decrepit and threatening SRO was a cardboard box on the streets of Manhattan. Sidestepping the details of how and why he became homeless other than to say he was proud of his resourcefulness in those days and his ability to survive the cold New York winters, he says he landed at the old Kenmore Hotel at 143-145 East 23rd Street in Manhattan with the help of a social worker. With some defiance, he indicates there are no big explanations for his slide from firefighter to homelessness…and no regrets. He recalls entering a place where drugs were openly dealt and used and where prostitutes, criminals and just plain “dangerous� people roamed freely. That began to change in 1994 when the U.S. Marshals intervened. Calabrese said that when the federal government seized the nefarious building it was the beginning of momentous change. He’s lived through it all, and credits a non-profit organization, Housing and Services, Inc., (HSI) for the turnaround. For Calabrese, he and Kenmore Hall have come a long way from the dingy room he’d had in the early 1990s. Today he lives in a cozy studio apartment that he keeps neat as a pin, adorned with colorful artwork, knickknacks he’s gathered over the years and various memorabilia. One area is respectfully kept as a shrine to his late and beloved wife, Jackie. A burly man approaching 60, Calabrese makes extra money working as a paid pallbearer for funeral parlors in and around Greenwich Village. At an age when many of his contemporaries complain about carrying heavy grocery bags, he hoists his share of a 500-pound casket almost nonchalantly. Calabrese knows all about death, particularly from his days as a firefighter where once he narrowly escaped from a blazing fire, and from his days so many years ago of living on the edge of society. And he knows about life, and how people, and places, are able to have new life breathed into them. Excerpted from “Once Down and Out, Kenmore Hall’s Comeback Reflects That of Its Residents� written by Judith Stiles and published in the OCT 2005 issue of the SENIOR ADVOCATE The full article can be found in our news section or at: http://www.vcny.org/senior_advocate/senior%20advocate_oct05web.pdf Richard Calabrese.jpg

8 Peter Beckett - Cecil Hotel Peter Beckett has come a long way. Several years ago he was homeless, addicted to drugs, and dangerously overweight. He moved from a homeless shelter to the Cecil nearly three years ago. “This place has done so much for me,� he says. “I couldn’t find a better SRO. Everybody that works here is like family, and I appreciate that. They know me, and they know my personality.� Mr. Beckett’s room at the Cecil is like his personality: warm and inviting. “This shows you how I would like to live,� he says, gesturing around at a painting on the wall, a colorful, plush rug, curtained windows, and several healthy potted plants – all things he gathered and purchased independently. With help from money management classes and his caseworker, Denise, Peter now has his first bank account, and the dream of becoming financially independent. Every day Peter does calisthenics and attends a support group for recovering addicts. He has learned how to prepare healthier food for himself from the cooking programs at the Cecil, and has lost over 30 pounds and lowered his blood pressure significantly as a result, taking him from high to moderate risk category for a stroke or heart attack. “I want to live,� he says, “to be as old as I possibly can.� In addition to continuing to lower his blood pressure and improve his health, Mr. Beckett is currently working on contacting his three adult sons and getting his GED. peter-beckett-web.jpg