FOOD FIRST is Committed to enhancing the quality of life In New York City

Food First' was organized in 1990 and incorporated in 1991 as a charitable not-for-profit providing goods and services to the poor locally and abroad. Our agency is a 501(c) non- profit with extensive experience serving homeless persons, families, children, HIV + persons, victims of domestic violence, another economically disadvantaged segments of the population.

The various programs operated by Food First over the years include:
• 1. The Family Project, an emergency 24 hr. shelter for 74 women and children who are victims of domestic violence in Clinton Hills section of Brooklyn. This shelter was licensed by the New York State Department of Social Services under Part 452. In addition to safe and secured apartments, residents receive counseling and advocacy services including case management, legal advocacy, law enforcement, child care, family counseling, recreation, nutritional counseling, parenting skills classes, vocational counseling, and job readiness training, housing assessments and placements and medical/mental health services by referral to Woodhull Hospital. We operate a state-wide toll-free hotline for our shelters which are manned all day year round.
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  2. Innovative 200 - unit from 1993 to 2003, models of scattered site housing and supportive services for persons with AIDS and their families in Brooklyn and the Bronx. All residents are referred from the NYC Division of AIDS Services and NYC hospitals, SROs, shelters and chest clinics. Those referred are either homeless or inappropriately housed. To enable these persons to adjust to the challenges of failing health and care in a new environment, we provide them with fully furnished apartment units and a host of supportive services including case management, legal and financial advocacy, substance abuse counseling, detoxification, acupuncture, nutritional counseling, bereavement counseling, mental health services, permanency planning, placement of surviving family members and/or children in permanent housing.
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  3. Our Food and Pantry programs have the capacity to serve 52,000 congregate and home delivered meals yearly to the homeless and working poor in downtown Brooklyn and the South Bronx. This program is funded by the United Way (FEMA program), AIDS Institute, NYC Division of AIDS Services, NYC Department of Health and in-kind contributions from City Harvest and Food for Survival Food Bank. Staff deliver meals to homebound persons With AIDS and two congregate meals (brunch and dinner) are served daily for program participants and the homeless who are able to attend our programs. Weekly pantry bags are also distributed as needed. These pantry bags consist of an assortment of canned foods, produce, pastries, and other non-perishable items, enough to last a family of three for 3 days. The name Food First is derived from a book written by Frances Lappe and Joseph Collins in the 1970s which challenges the myth of scarce resources and compels visionaries to empower the underpriviledge to reallocate these resources
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  4. Tuberculosis Prevention - Our agency monitored 60 persons undergoing TB prophylaxis in Brooklyn between 1995 and 2003. Our target population for this program are homeless or inappropriately housed persons who have completed inpatient anti-TB hospital care or test PPD positive/anergic. This program strives to arrest the spread of tuberculosis among homeless populations or persons with compromised immune systems.
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  5, Conover House is a 46,500 sq. ft. building with a 50,000 sq. ft. lot comprising 36 units of supportive housing in the Red Hook section of South Brooklyn. This project involves the acquisition and rehabilitation of the old PS 30 in Red Hook, Brooklyn to provide local seniors (8), families with one member who is HIV + (16), and other doubled up/inappropriately housed local families (12) with housing, health and day care services. The Community Health Clinic will be located on the ground floor covering approximately 4,000 sq. ft. The clinic is designed to serve the community at large as well as residents of the facility. The daycare center will service tenants' children as well as children from the Red Hook community. The center will accommodate 30 children from the Red Hook community. The center will accommodate 30 children daily and another 35 in our after school component.
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  6. 80 low income housing units homeless persons and families including survivors of domestic violence seeking permanent housing after residing in an-emergency shelter for up to 90 days and surviving family members of an expired person with AIDS would qualify for permanent housing at this supportive residence. Each family is provided an apartment and on-site aftercare services. In addition to on-Site services, we offer linkages to other community services and agencies to help residents acquire the resources and skiffs required to resume their lives.
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  7. New Start, 28 units of scattered site apartments for families affected by AIDS/HIV funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for residents of Brooklyn and the Bronx. Those referred are either homeless or inappropriately housed families who are provided with fully furnished apartment units and a host of supportive services including case management, legal and financial advocacy, substance abuse counseling, detoxification, acupuncture, nutritional counseling, bereavement counseling, mental health services, permanency planning, placement of surviving family members and/or children in permanent housing.
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  8. Conover DayCare was located in the ground floor of Conover House is designed to provide affordable yet reliable day care services for the community and residents of the facility. We have a capacity to serve 30 infants and toddlers on a daily bases. Children receive one on one supervision by a team of experienced board certified teachers and child care professionals. We serve (3) nutritous meals per day and are sponsors of New York State Department of Health, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).

Food First, Inc. was a private voluntary agency (PVO) with US Agency for international Development (AID) and is currently working with three African countries through our AIDS PACT program for the provision of pre and post test counseling, advocacy for services, counseling and alternative treatment modalities for PVVAs. Food First is the first agency to place PWAs with TB in the CPPP program initiative of the NYS DOH AIDS Institute.
Food First is a member of the National Alliance to end Homelessness, NY AIDS Coalition, National Housing Conference, Nonprofit Coordinating Committee and also work with several other AIDS and social service providers. We are a member of the Domestic Violence Service Providers' network. We are a recepient of the 1995 US Dept of Housing and Urban Devevelopment (HUD) award for Homeless continuum of care. We also work closely with the New York State Office of Domestic Violence Prevention, NYS Department of Social Services-Office of Program Planning and Development, NYC HRA's Survivors Emergency Assistance Program. We participate in the HIV Care Network of Brooklyn and Bronx countries, New York AIDS Coalition, NYC Division of
Our shelter was open 24 hrs @ day and services to residents are on-going including after- care as dictated by the family's service plan. Our services to persons with AIDS is open for supportive social services 6 days @ week (Mon-Sat) from 9:00am thru 9:00pm daily. We provide intensive case management and other services including 24-hr crisis intervention service to all our clients. We do not close for more than 1 day, including holidays, in order to be able to provide timely responses to the often varying lives of our clients.

Our Bronx program was multi-cultural in counseling, services, promotional literature and staffing. Our Brooklyn program has the capacity to serve English, Spanish, Creole, French, and some African populations. Our program staff are U.S. born or immigrants from foreign nations who combine a rich cultural diversity, recovery experiences, diverse sexual orientations, and are multilingual.