Sister Jeanne Frank Award
Sister Jeanne Frank was a powerful and visible advocate for the poor and homeless of Buffalo and Erie County. She was a teacher and advocate who inspired many in our community to serve those who were homeless, in crisis and in need. Sister Jeanne’s approach and instruction to volunteers was “Remember you are serving your equals. Don't put a plate in front of them without putting yourself there as well.”
Sister Jeanne was the founder of the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room which, continues to date to provide food and critical services to the poor and homeless. Sister Jeanne joined the Center for Justice and worked for the outreach program of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in the role of Adult Residential Care Associate. She became a vocal and visible advocate for the needs of the homeless in Buffalo. She initiated the collection of statistical data confirming the existence of a significant homeless population in Buffalo founding the Western New York Coalition for the Homeless bringing people together from various organizations to raise public awareness and improve the lives of homeless people.
Sister Jeanne lost her battle with cancer in December 1994. The Western New York Coalition for the Homeless presents the Sister Jeanne Frank Award annually to an individual who exemplifies Sister Jeanne’s spirit and compassion working with the poor and needy. The award is affectionately known as the Sister Jeanne Frank “In Your Face Advocacy Award” which is given to an individual who has demonstrated persistence, a strong sense of social justice and willingness to go many extra miles in the causes of the homeless.
This Buffalo News profile of Sister Jeanne demonstrates her passion for working with the homeless or "houseless" and the urgency she felt in advocating to make changes in the community.
"We've got to realize that the Donald Trumps are not the heroes of our society. People who buy housing and want to make a killing are the real criminals of this world. You don't have to make a profit on the blood of your brother."
"It's insensitive to brag about houses selling in Buffalo for $400,000 when we see how many soup kitchens and shelters Buffalo has. Buffalo was never a $400,000-a-house city. We become insensitive to the pain and suffering around us."
"The fact is that food, shelter and clothing are moral rights. Anyone born into this universe is entitled to food, clothing and shelter, and has the right to work."
"This job doesn't get me down, because I'm dealing with people. I see good people and struggling people. People who really want to make it."
2019 - Will Marcy, Kenmore Alliance Church
Will’s passion, commitment, and humble service to homeless individuals truly exemplifies the spirit and mission of Sister Jean Frank. His drive to find every homeless individual on the street and build relationships with them based on humanity, love and respect is truly remarkable and the embodiment of compassion. A testament to the effectiveness of his mission is that every individual that knows him, sees him with the same genuine trust and respect. Will came to us as one part of the dynamic duo that we referred to as “Will and Sue from Gracepoint Church,” however, since Sue’s tragic departure Will has kept their mission alive, carved out his own path and honors Sue’s legacy every day!
Will’s passion, commitment, and humble service to homeless individuals truly exemplifies the spirit and mission of Sister Jean Frank. His drive to find every homeless individual on the street and build relationships with them based on humanity, love and respect is truly remarkable and the embodiment of compassion. A testament to the effectiveness of his mission is that every individual that knows him, sees him with the same genuine trust and respect. Will came to us as one part of the dynamic duo that we referred to as “Will and Sue from Gracepoint Church,” however, since Sue’s tragic departure Will has kept their mission alive, carved out his own path and honors Sue’s legacy every day!
2017 - Jean Bennett, Restoration Society
Since Jean stepped into the Homeless Services world she has gone above and beyond to help and advocate for homeless individuals. Jean juggles tremendous responsibility in supervising Harbor House, RSI’s Housing Programs and is also an active member of the WNY Coalition for the Homeless’ Outreach Committee, chairs the Code Blue Collaborative and most recently became a member of the Board of Directors. During the planning phase of last year’s Code Blue transition Jean immediately stepped in and advocated to have Harbor House open 24 hours a day to provide a safe place for up to 80 homeless individuals per day, even though she knew she would have to supervise it. She was involved in all aspects of Code Blue planning, implementation and daily operation. So much so that there is ongoing speculation as to whether she ever actually sleeps.
Jean may not be an “in your face advocate” as far as aggressiveness, however she most certainly is “in your face” as in everywhere you go, every event or initiative to help the homeless population she is there advocating for them. I believe that Jean’s passion, commitment and tireless effort capture the spirit of Sister Jeanne Frank’s work and make her an extremely well deserving nominee for the award in her name.
Since Jean stepped into the Homeless Services world she has gone above and beyond to help and advocate for homeless individuals. Jean juggles tremendous responsibility in supervising Harbor House, RSI’s Housing Programs and is also an active member of the WNY Coalition for the Homeless’ Outreach Committee, chairs the Code Blue Collaborative and most recently became a member of the Board of Directors. During the planning phase of last year’s Code Blue transition Jean immediately stepped in and advocated to have Harbor House open 24 hours a day to provide a safe place for up to 80 homeless individuals per day, even though she knew she would have to supervise it. She was involved in all aspects of Code Blue planning, implementation and daily operation. So much so that there is ongoing speculation as to whether she ever actually sleeps.
Jean may not be an “in your face advocate” as far as aggressiveness, however she most certainly is “in your face” as in everywhere you go, every event or initiative to help the homeless population she is there advocating for them. I believe that Jean’s passion, commitment and tireless effort capture the spirit of Sister Jeanne Frank’s work and make her an extremely well deserving nominee for the award in her name.
2016 - Sarah Gorry, Matt Urban HOPE Center
Program Winner: 2-1-1WNY
Program Winner: 2-1-1WNY
2015 - Jason Flores, Matt Urban HOPE Center
Jason leads the Matt Urban Hope Center’s Outreach Team with passion and determination to
better the lives of every homeless individual he comes in contact with. Jason has extended his
leadership to the WNY Homeless Coalition as Outreach Committee Chair. Jason is a fierce advocate for the homeless and is fearless in his attempt to change institutional systems to better serve them. Jason took it upon himself to identify, list and map all chronically homeless individuals in the City of Buffalo.
He agreed to maintain this list and sorted the names based on the Local Vulnerability Index in which he also helped to create in order to identify those in greatest need so that housing could be provided to them first. That ultimately became known as the Chronic List or coordinated assessment that has been instrumental in achieving our goal to end chronic homelessness in the City of Buffalo by the end of 2015.
Jason then saw the need to protect our most vulnerable homeless who frequent the NFTA bus station and was instrumental in forging a groundbreaking collaboration with the NFTA that resulted in an outreach satellite office being housed there to serve and protect that population while giving the NFTA the tools and support they needed to address that longstanding issue. This collaboration also resulted in the NFTA granting Code Blue the use of their #6 Sycamore bus to transport clients in a far safer and more efficient way.
Jason also dared to dream that we could make even more of an impact by changing the way Buffalo Police Department addresses homelessness, especially in the Downtown area. Jason did not hesitate or listen to nay sayer, but instead reached out and built a relationship with Chief Patterson of B-District, did research on effective practices, made contact with the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) trainers in Colorado and set the groundwork for this collaboration. When faced with the realization that the HOT team wasn’t a priority to BPD, Jason created, distributed and got dozens of people to sign a petition advocating for a HOT Unit in Buffalo. He finally got Chief Patterson to agree to implement the HOT unit under the condition that we provide the $3,000 to fund the training. Jason immediately called the Outreach Committee to action to help raise the funds which resulted in a fundraiser that raised over $1,000 towards this cause. Because of his vision and leadership we are $2,000 away from making this collaboration a reality.
We believe that Jason Flores deserves the Sister Jeanne Frank Award as he demonstrates the ideals of passion, courage, selflessness and determination to protect and serve the homeless that this award was founded upon.
Program Winner: Harbor House
The WNY Coalition for the Homeless would like to present Aubrey Pula and the amazingly dedicated staff of Harbor House with the Sister Jeanne Frank Agency Award. Harbor House Drop-In Center provides shelter for adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses, and co-occurring substance abuse disorders who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Harbor House provides refreshments, bathing facilities, laundry facilities, clothing exchange, advocacy, referral and linkage, social support and case management to some of the most challenging individuals to work with. They have done so with tremendous dedication, passion and respect.
In the past year when faced with tremendous adversity the Harbor House staff responded with grace, humility and unstoppable determination to continue providing services to their clients. They were forced to move from their home at 103 Genesee and had to relocate to 241 Genesee. They dealt with a far less then welcoming response from their neighbors including a sign placed directly across the street directly attacking their clients, staff and program as a whole. Then they were faced with devastating budget cuts that put their program in jeopardy of closing. Throughout these extremely challenging circumstances they did not quit or waiver in their commitment to their clients. They instead reached out to their colleagues, asked for help, volunteered their own time and created a collaborative plan to continue their mission, keep Harbor House’s doors open and provide the same level of superior service to our community. They have and continue to be an inspiration to us all.
We are proud to present Aubrey Pula and the staff of Harbor House with the Sister Jeanne Frank Agency Award as they demonstrate the ideals of passion, courage, selflessness and determination to protect and serve the homeless that this award was founded upon.
Jason leads the Matt Urban Hope Center’s Outreach Team with passion and determination to
better the lives of every homeless individual he comes in contact with. Jason has extended his
leadership to the WNY Homeless Coalition as Outreach Committee Chair. Jason is a fierce advocate for the homeless and is fearless in his attempt to change institutional systems to better serve them. Jason took it upon himself to identify, list and map all chronically homeless individuals in the City of Buffalo.
He agreed to maintain this list and sorted the names based on the Local Vulnerability Index in which he also helped to create in order to identify those in greatest need so that housing could be provided to them first. That ultimately became known as the Chronic List or coordinated assessment that has been instrumental in achieving our goal to end chronic homelessness in the City of Buffalo by the end of 2015.
Jason then saw the need to protect our most vulnerable homeless who frequent the NFTA bus station and was instrumental in forging a groundbreaking collaboration with the NFTA that resulted in an outreach satellite office being housed there to serve and protect that population while giving the NFTA the tools and support they needed to address that longstanding issue. This collaboration also resulted in the NFTA granting Code Blue the use of their #6 Sycamore bus to transport clients in a far safer and more efficient way.
Jason also dared to dream that we could make even more of an impact by changing the way Buffalo Police Department addresses homelessness, especially in the Downtown area. Jason did not hesitate or listen to nay sayer, but instead reached out and built a relationship with Chief Patterson of B-District, did research on effective practices, made contact with the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) trainers in Colorado and set the groundwork for this collaboration. When faced with the realization that the HOT team wasn’t a priority to BPD, Jason created, distributed and got dozens of people to sign a petition advocating for a HOT Unit in Buffalo. He finally got Chief Patterson to agree to implement the HOT unit under the condition that we provide the $3,000 to fund the training. Jason immediately called the Outreach Committee to action to help raise the funds which resulted in a fundraiser that raised over $1,000 towards this cause. Because of his vision and leadership we are $2,000 away from making this collaboration a reality.
We believe that Jason Flores deserves the Sister Jeanne Frank Award as he demonstrates the ideals of passion, courage, selflessness and determination to protect and serve the homeless that this award was founded upon.
Program Winner: Harbor House
The WNY Coalition for the Homeless would like to present Aubrey Pula and the amazingly dedicated staff of Harbor House with the Sister Jeanne Frank Agency Award. Harbor House Drop-In Center provides shelter for adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses, and co-occurring substance abuse disorders who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Harbor House provides refreshments, bathing facilities, laundry facilities, clothing exchange, advocacy, referral and linkage, social support and case management to some of the most challenging individuals to work with. They have done so with tremendous dedication, passion and respect.
In the past year when faced with tremendous adversity the Harbor House staff responded with grace, humility and unstoppable determination to continue providing services to their clients. They were forced to move from their home at 103 Genesee and had to relocate to 241 Genesee. They dealt with a far less then welcoming response from their neighbors including a sign placed directly across the street directly attacking their clients, staff and program as a whole. Then they were faced with devastating budget cuts that put their program in jeopardy of closing. Throughout these extremely challenging circumstances they did not quit or waiver in their commitment to their clients. They instead reached out to their colleagues, asked for help, volunteered their own time and created a collaborative plan to continue their mission, keep Harbor House’s doors open and provide the same level of superior service to our community. They have and continue to be an inspiration to us all.
We are proud to present Aubrey Pula and the staff of Harbor House with the Sister Jeanne Frank Agency Award as they demonstrate the ideals of passion, courage, selflessness and determination to protect and serve the homeless that this award was founded upon.
2014 - Jim Folan, City of Buffalo
St. Luke's Mission of Mercy
St. Luke's Mission of Mercy
2012 - Joyelle Tedeschi, Director of the Matt Urban HOPE Center
Joy was given the award for her efforts over the years on behalf of the street homeless.
Joy Tedeschi, along with Karen Carmen, left their positions at the YWCA in order to begin outreach services on the East Side of Buffalo when they saw a gap in services for the homeless. They teamed up with the Matt Urban Human Services Center and the HOPE Center was born.
Joy also formed the Outreach Committee of the Coalition and organized monthly “rise and shine” and night outreach to those living on the streets along with collaboration on assisting specific clients. The street outreach efforts then lead to Joy planting the seed for “warming centers” for the homeless during Buffalo’s harsh winters and Code Blue was formed on a volunteer basis. A particularly harsh winter strained the volunteers and Joy set out on a mission for government funding. Joy stalked the Mayor and his representatives for months until funding was finally found for Code Blue. Code Blue now receives regular funding from the city to operate each winter.
During the ceremony celebrating the opening of the Urban Diner at the HOPE Center, Karen Carmen told the story of a young Joyelle telling her mother that one of her goals in life was to open a soup kitchen. This just illustrates what a special person Joy is and always was.
Since the beginning of the Outreach Committee, Code Blue and the efforts of the HOPE Center, the number of people living on the street during HUD’s annual Point-In-Time count has been cut by almost half from 201 to 106. Joy will be the first one to acknowledge the work of others in this effort but it is clear who the driving force has been. Joyelle Tedeschi has been a life saver to some, a role model to many and an inspiration to us all.
Joy was given the award for her efforts over the years on behalf of the street homeless.
Joy Tedeschi, along with Karen Carmen, left their positions at the YWCA in order to begin outreach services on the East Side of Buffalo when they saw a gap in services for the homeless. They teamed up with the Matt Urban Human Services Center and the HOPE Center was born.
Joy also formed the Outreach Committee of the Coalition and organized monthly “rise and shine” and night outreach to those living on the streets along with collaboration on assisting specific clients. The street outreach efforts then lead to Joy planting the seed for “warming centers” for the homeless during Buffalo’s harsh winters and Code Blue was formed on a volunteer basis. A particularly harsh winter strained the volunteers and Joy set out on a mission for government funding. Joy stalked the Mayor and his representatives for months until funding was finally found for Code Blue. Code Blue now receives regular funding from the city to operate each winter.
During the ceremony celebrating the opening of the Urban Diner at the HOPE Center, Karen Carmen told the story of a young Joyelle telling her mother that one of her goals in life was to open a soup kitchen. This just illustrates what a special person Joy is and always was.
Since the beginning of the Outreach Committee, Code Blue and the efforts of the HOPE Center, the number of people living on the street during HUD’s annual Point-In-Time count has been cut by almost half from 201 to 106. Joy will be the first one to acknowledge the work of others in this effort but it is clear who the driving force has been. Joyelle Tedeschi has been a life saver to some, a role model to many and an inspiration to us all.
2011 - John Morrissey, Homeless Alliance of WNY
2010 - Ardis Damon, Belmont Housing Services of WNY
2009 - Lisa Jo Schaeffer, Gerard Place
2008 - Devan Decicco, Homeless Alliance of WNY
Devan is certainly a worthy recipient of this award. Devan is responsible for the growth of the Homeless Alliance’s efforts to include our faith communities in homeless prevention efforts. Devan has also written a number of successful grant applications for both the Alliance and the Homeless Coalition. His passion for social justice and his commitment to those in most need among us is an inspiration to us all and he is a very deserving recipient of the Sister Jean Frank Award.
Devan is certainly a worthy recipient of this award. Devan is responsible for the growth of the Homeless Alliance’s efforts to include our faith communities in homeless prevention efforts. Devan has also written a number of successful grant applications for both the Alliance and the Homeless Coalition. His passion for social justice and his commitment to those in most need among us is an inspiration to us all and he is a very deserving recipient of the Sister Jean Frank Award.
2006 - Kathryn McHugh Connolly of the Homeless Alliance of WNY and William F. Graham of Erie County Department of Social Services
2005 - Karen Carmen - Crisis Services
Each day as a homeless case manager, Karen Carmen goes out into the community to meet with homeless individuals at the City Mission and St. Luke’s Soup Kitchen. She has an extensive and demanding caseload, and each day homeless men fill the waiting room to speak to her. Due to the large crowds and not wanting anyone to be overlooked, she has partnered with Neighborhood Legal Services to provide a weekly orientation to homeless men. She educates clients about housing services available, and makes sure that clients are aware of all of their entitlements.
Karen is an amazing advocate for her clients. She never accepts the listing price for an apartment, talking down landlords to help clients afford better housing. She doesn’t accept “no” as an answer from any service provider, and she's willing to go to bat for any client. Once asked how she does it, she replied, “I just keep talking until they get sick of me and say ‘yes.’ ”
Karen goes above and beyond her job description by remembering her clients on their birthday and taking them out to lunch. And she doesn’t just go to McDonalds-– she takes them to a real sit-down restaurant. When Karen is asked why she does this, she explained that many of our clients have been on the streets with no family or friends to remember their birthday. And they certainly haven’t had the money to go out to eat a nice meal. This is a true demonstration of Karen treating each client with respect and dignity, and helps restore a sense of self-worth that is so often lost while living on the streets.
Karen is a true advocate and an asset to Crisis Services and all agencies that work on behalf of the homeless community.
Each day as a homeless case manager, Karen Carmen goes out into the community to meet with homeless individuals at the City Mission and St. Luke’s Soup Kitchen. She has an extensive and demanding caseload, and each day homeless men fill the waiting room to speak to her. Due to the large crowds and not wanting anyone to be overlooked, she has partnered with Neighborhood Legal Services to provide a weekly orientation to homeless men. She educates clients about housing services available, and makes sure that clients are aware of all of their entitlements.
Karen is an amazing advocate for her clients. She never accepts the listing price for an apartment, talking down landlords to help clients afford better housing. She doesn’t accept “no” as an answer from any service provider, and she's willing to go to bat for any client. Once asked how she does it, she replied, “I just keep talking until they get sick of me and say ‘yes.’ ”
Karen goes above and beyond her job description by remembering her clients on their birthday and taking them out to lunch. And she doesn’t just go to McDonalds-– she takes them to a real sit-down restaurant. When Karen is asked why she does this, she explained that many of our clients have been on the streets with no family or friends to remember their birthday. And they certainly haven’t had the money to go out to eat a nice meal. This is a true demonstration of Karen treating each client with respect and dignity, and helps restore a sense of self-worth that is so often lost while living on the streets.
Karen is a true advocate and an asset to Crisis Services and all agencies that work on behalf of the homeless community.
2004 - Adrian Slocum, Catholic Charities
Adrian Slocum, the Intake Coordinator for Catholic Charities, Office of the Aging, has worked on behalf of low income and homeless seniors for the past fifteen years. Adrian helps seniors navigate the often complicated system of housing and public benefits. Adrian also coordinates workshops for other intake coordinators and persons working on the front lines of homelessness. Adrian is particularly proud of his work with a number of community agencies which are working together to make a specialized shelter for homeless elderly a reality.
For many years, Adrian has acted behind the scenes in creating new educational programs to keep advocates trained and informed of services and legal remedies available to homeless clients. Hundreds of low income and homeless advocates are better at their jobs because of the work that Adrian does. Due to his impressive efforts, the quality of information and care that low income folks receiving Erie County has been vastly improved.
Beyond his work in helping others to serve their clients well, Adrian has helped thousands of low income persons navigate the complicated systems which they need to maneuver through to improve their lives. Many people owe much to Adrian, a tireless and humble worker for the poor and disenfranchised.
Adrian Slocum, the Intake Coordinator for Catholic Charities, Office of the Aging, has worked on behalf of low income and homeless seniors for the past fifteen years. Adrian helps seniors navigate the often complicated system of housing and public benefits. Adrian also coordinates workshops for other intake coordinators and persons working on the front lines of homelessness. Adrian is particularly proud of his work with a number of community agencies which are working together to make a specialized shelter for homeless elderly a reality.
For many years, Adrian has acted behind the scenes in creating new educational programs to keep advocates trained and informed of services and legal remedies available to homeless clients. Hundreds of low income and homeless advocates are better at their jobs because of the work that Adrian does. Due to his impressive efforts, the quality of information and care that low income folks receiving Erie County has been vastly improved.
Beyond his work in helping others to serve their clients well, Adrian has helped thousands of low income persons navigate the complicated systems which they need to maneuver through to improve their lives. Many people owe much to Adrian, a tireless and humble worker for the poor and disenfranchised.
