Our Approach
AAPCI – Mission & Goals
For almost 20 years, African American Planning Commission, Inc. (AAPCI) has been committed to improving the quality-of-life and wellbeing of underserved communities in New York City. We listen to the communities we serve and develop programs with demonstrated impact to respond to their needs. Our programs serve single adults, families with children, and very-low income elderly. We operate programs that target survivors of domestic violence and seek to develop programs that target our Youths, those Aging-Out, and Homeless Runaways. Essentially, we tackle the root causes of homelessness and develop long-term solutions that prevent them from reoccurring. Recognizing that homeless shelters alone is not the absolute solution to homelessness, we began to shift our efforts toward the development of affordable and supportive housing. Learn more…
What Makes AAPCI Different?
Our Staff, Our Programs & Our Services
At AAPCI, we strive to provide a diverse range of high-quality services to address our clients’ needs through a team of passionate, dedicated, and experienced staff. Through their efforts, AAPCI offers clients the support they need and the tools required to equip them to reach their maximum potential.
AAPCI, like many nonprofits, must also contend with talent retention issues. Our organization relies on passionate, mission-driven employees, but attracting and retaining talent has become more difficult. Losing employees is costly, with turnover often representing 30% or more in additional expenses.
To improve retention and employee satisfaction, AAPCI has implemented several strategies, including the creation of a strong workplace culture, implementing small-scale perks, and building career growth pathways.
Addressing The Need For Very Affordable & Supportive Housing In New York City
New York City is grappling with a housing crisis, requiring a multi-pronged approach to increase affordable and supportive housing options. This includes funding initiatives like the NYC 15/15 initiative, expanding programs like HomeFirst, and investing in supportive services for vulnerable populations.
Study after study have shown that affordable and supportive housing, coupled with wrap-around services, for those who need it, is the solution to homelessness. To that end, we are working with community stakeholders, funders and donors, private developers, landlords, contractors, and industry professionals, to develop and bring hundreds of units of mixed-income developments to market in the near future. Help us develop more affordable and supportive housing.
There Will Always Be A Need For Emergency & Transitional Housing
Emergency Shelter: Many individuals and families need short-term stabilization before they can find housing that will meet their long-term needs. AAPCI operates emergency shelters to house individuals and families in need of immediate shelter, allowing staff to assess and determine the services for which these men, women and children are eligible.
Transitional Housing: Transitional housing is usually the step taken after an individual or a family has entered an emergency shelter and before permanent housing can be found. During this time, our staff work with individuals and families to develop an Independent Living Plan (ILP) and help them obtain a more permanent living situation.
We regularly work with City, State, and community stakeholders to address the immediate needs of survivors of domestic violence, street homeless individuals, homeless families with children, and very low income homeless seniors.
Learn about our transitional & emergency shelter initiatives
A Path Forward
At AAPCI, we recognize that homeless shelters alone is not the solution to end homelessness. Many individuals need more than just emergency and transitional housing. At the very core of the issue is the need for stable, long-term, affordable housing; wrap-around social support services, and jobs that pay a living wage… jobs that give their lives meaning. At AAPCI, we strive to provide a diverse range of high-quality services to meet the needs of our clients through a team of passionate, dedicated, and experienced professionals. Through their efforts, AAPCI offers our clients the support they need and the tools necessary to help them reach their maximum potential. Our ultimate goal is to significantly reduce homelessness in New York City and to develop programs that are easily replicated across the country.
Trends
The nonprofit sector is facing multiple challenges, including reduced funding while the demand for our services is rising, particularly in areas like affordable and supportive housing, street homeless, food insecurity, substance abuse, domestic violence; unemployment, high inflation, a tight labor market, and increased regulations.
At AAPCI, we work with various nonprofit legal service providers and advisors to develop contingency plans to mitigate the impact of regulatory shifts on our operations. The regulatory landscape can change rapidly, especially in today’s politically volatile times.
Best Practices
At AAPCI, best practices include providing optimum training to all levels of staff so that they are equipped to carry out their responsibilities. We maintain legal compliance and organizational integrity, oversee financial management and strategies, develop clear roadmaps and frameworks for setting goals, and address concerns from board members and executives. Additionally, we foster strong board governance, build effective internal controls, and maintain robust employee policies. These are just some elements that have contributed toward our success.
How We Remain Effective & Competitive
We ensure adaptability, transparency, and impactfulness. Our board of directors and executive management teams, with input from line staff, regularly revisit our mission and programs, exploring innovative approaches to service delivery, including the use of online platforms and community partnerships, and ensuring strong communication with community stakeholders. We explore other funding options, and engage in strategic planning and long-term visioning to evaluate our progress, adapt to changing circumstances, and ensure that our goals remain aligned with our mission. With foresight, we build a sustainable organizational structure.
What Makes AAPCI Unique & Distinct
Our uniqueness lies in our ability to take what we learn on the ground from our clients and dedicated staff and incorporate them into programs and agency policies with the goal of effecting positive change and organizational outcomes. We are always learning, we are always growing! By delivering high quality services, we help transform lives, improve communities and boost the lives of future generations.
Program Evaluation & Quality Assurance: The Data Speaks for Itself
Our Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance (PE&QA) department was founded to design, implement and manage all African American Planning Commission’s performance measurement systems. It was founded to ensure continued compliance with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, contractual obligations, policies and procedures. We rely on monitoring, data, and program evaluation to guide the strategy for our programs. The data gathered by our PE&QA department confirms our impact, and drives us to constantly improve the quality and service of our programs and operations.
African American Planning Commission: By The Numbers
We keep track of the big picture and the details, to make sure that we’re hitting our goals and benchmarks, working to exceed industry performance standards, and providing the best service possible for our clients and the communities we serve.
While AAPCI continues to perform favorably in the midst of budget cuts, our mission and goals have not wavered and remain the same: to respond to NYC’s homeless crisis with creative, comprehensive, and compassionate responses.
African American Planning Commission: At A Glance
Emergency Adult Shelters
Transitional Domestic Violence Shelters
Emergency Family Shelter