At The Fortune Society, we support homeless, formerly incarcerated individuals through supportive and affordable housing. However, we also understand the many barriers, concerns and questions that can arise while searching for housing. At Fortune, our Housing Specialists offer critical support to participants during the housing application process, providing expert advice and working closely with case managers and other staff members to ensure our participants find safe, stable and affordable housing.  

We spoke with Nathaniel, a Housing Specialist with Transitional Services (RISE), about how he supports individuals seeking housing after incarceration. As a member of the RISE team, Nathaniel serves people recently released from Rikers Island and state prison. He is available to answer clients’ questions, help them gather documents needed for housing applications and offer resources to alleviate some of the challenges they may face during the housing search.  

“We often work with individuals who were previously living in a shelter, and so they typically have questions about specific vouchers, like the emergency housing voucher that is no longer available,” Nathaniel said. “If you didn’t use it, you lost it, and unfortunately, I have worked with people who were incarcerated and thought they would still have it when they came home. It’s shocking to lose access to resources like that.” 

Nathaniel understands that the housing search can be incredibly intimidating for someone recently released from incarceration. Throughout his time working with participants, Nathaniel aims to establish trust and relieve some of their anxiety by explaining each step of the process.  

Much of Nathaniel’s role includes providing resources for participants needing critical support. He often references Homebase, which offers homeless prevention and aftercare services to individuals transitioning from an NYC shelter to permanent housing. Homebase has locations throughout the five boroughs and provides some services at Rikers Island. 

Nathaniel also works closely with case managers, transition coordinators and other staff members to provide high-quality care for participants after release. He understands the many unique circumstances participants may come to him with, and by collaborating with other Fortune programs, Nathaniel can better address individuals’ specific needs.  

“Maybe they have substance use or mental health challenges, and in that case, I would help them with a supportive housing application with help from Treatment Services of BLC,” Nathaniel explained. “This consists of a psychosocial assessment, psychiatric evaluation, verification of income and forms of identification. After gathering this information, I submit their application to see what housing categories they are approved for.”  

Nathaniel emphasized that there are various housing categories with specific criteria for both Fortune housing and other supportive housing providers. Although he refers participants to Fortune housing first, depending on whether an individual aligns with the outlined criteria, Nathaniel will later outsource to another housing provider if needed.  

“Generally speaking, supportive housing providers have different eligibility criteria,” Nathaniel said. “Some of them have the criteria that you must be chronically homeless, which means they must have been homeless for 365 days out of the last two years. So, if someone doesn’t qualify, we’ll have to look elsewhere.” 

Housing Specialists like Nathaniel provide vital support throughout the housing application process until they eventually obtain housing. Our dedicated team of specialists wants to see our participants succeed, and at Fortune, we look forward to celebrating these important milestones.