News
June Highlights
Highlights of our staff and program accomplishments throughout May.
- Earlier this month, Alexander Dockery, a community health worker at Osborne’s Marcus Garvey II supportive housing program in Brownsville, Brooklyn, made history as the first formerly incarcerated person named to serve on the New York State Commission of Correction, an independent oversight body. Nominated by Gov. Hochul and confirmed by the Senate, Alexander will be one of three commissioners (alongside former Osborne President and CEO Liz Gaynes) responsible for helping ensure safe and humane conditions in correctional facilities across the state. Read more here.
- Families who participate in programming at our Buffalo offices gathered earlier this month to honor the role that caregivers play in sustaining families separated by incarceration. The annual event was organized around the theme “The Many Hats We Wear,” and program participant and caregiver Tanya Bennett was recognized as one of the event’s celebrated caregivers (see My Osborne below). Osborne Buffalo offers a range of services for young people and families, including after-school and summer activities and leadership and life skills development, as well as video visiting and our free Loved Ones Link transportation program to state prisons. A youth mentorship program in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie, Niagara and the Southern Tier launched in 2024. Buffalo is also a hub for our unique body of work training law enforcement agencies in policies and procedures to safeguard children during the arrest of a parent.
- On June 20, Osborne held its annual end-of-year picnic for about 60 children, youth, caregivers, and supporters of families impacted by incarceration. Our youth leadership and recreation programs, along with families who take part in our new free transportation program to state prisons Loved Ones Link, came together in Prospect Park to commune and celebrate. The event featured yoga, face painting, a Build-A-Bear station, a magic show, food and drinks, and other activities (pictured above). The gathering marked the close of a year of successful programming and celebrated Juneteenth. Read more in this story from amNY.
- Osborne’s LGBTQIA+ Case Management Program kicked off pride month with its annual health fair, with offerings including STD/STI testing, yoga, and a self-defense class. Program Coordinator Ali Kamerman was featured in an article for Social Work Today about the realities for incarcerated Trans people. She also was a panelist for a Pride event at the Rose M. Singer Center on Rikers, discussing topics like mental health, coming out, and acceptance. Senior Health Educator/Peer Liaison Grace Detrevarah appeared on BronxNet’s series Open before crisscrossing the state: attending Gov. Hochul’s annual pride brunch, picking up an award from Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and representing Osborne at marches in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
- Earlier this month, Osborne’s Chief Housing Officer Wendell Walters was a panelist for “Beyond the Record: Supportive Housing’s Role in Successful Reentry” at New York’s largest annual supportive housing conference. He touched on Osborne’s special focus on older adults returning home, highlighting the demonstrated need for onsite programming like financial literacy education, case management, peer support, and benefits counseling that help prepare formerly incarcerated people to successfully live on their own.