By Dan Murphy
The Saint Joseph’s Medical Center family in Yonkers has many important employees that make sure the community is served. One of them is Marianne DiTommaso, director of residential housing.
DiTommaso’s role at St. Joseph’s Medical Center underscores the hospital’s commitment to treat everyone, and to care for the sick and the poor. That commitment has been at Saint Joseph’s since the hospital opened its door in 1890. The commitment to the underserved and, in particular, a mission to end homelessness, started with the sisters of charity, and their mission has been ongoing for more than 200 years.
The sisters’ commitment and example that started at Saint Joseph’s more than a century ago is still embraced by all hospital employees today. Saint Joseph’s CEO Michel Spicer explains that all of the staff “are well trained professionals who understand the medical center’s philosophy to offer all patients hope.”
The passion of caring for others extends to the hospital’s ever-growing network of outpatient care and housing programs in Westchester, combined with a strong network of referral organizations.
And that is where DiTommaso fits perfectly into the mission of Saint Joseph’s.
Homelessness and poverty have been around for most of time, but recently, and unfortunately, the challenge of securing safe and affordable housing in the greater New York area has become more difficult and challenging. Few people know how extensive the needs are and how Saint Joseph’s tries to address them more than DiTommaso, who is currently vice president of residential services.
Before coming to Saint Joseph’s, DiTommaso worked at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Harrison and began her career in health care at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Staten Island, where she continued her education while working in mental health and psychiatric outpatient services, achieving her master’s degree in social work and her master’s in business administration. She is also a licensed social worker.
In 1986, DiTommaso was promoted to director of residential services in Staten Island, and now she oversees a combined 1,300 unites of residential services and housing all over the NY-metropolitan area for St. Vincent’s, which has a partnership and affiliation with Saint Joseph’s and since 2010 falls under the Saint Joseph’s umbrella of care.
The Department of Residential Services includes transitional and extended stay community residents for special populations and permanent supportive housing. These services have been expanded over the years to include other areas of NYC and Westchester County. Initially begun as a transitional and independent setting for individuals with mental illnesses, the mission has been expanded to include supporting individuals living with HIV, chronic illnesses, and individuals with mental illness who have been involved with the justice system. All of the services support and ensure the safe transition from institution to independent living.
In Yonkers, the upcoming School Street development will help Saint Joseph’s continue to offer its panoply of housing options, which include community residences, extended stay options, community-based family care, apartments and single site affordable housing units. Many of the housing sites offer onsite supportive services, which include case management, referrals to clinics and other services in the community, help applying for benefits, crisis intervention and assistance with living skills, and transportation and employment services.
Many of the programs offered by Saint Joseph’s are funded through NYS grants from the Office of Mental Health and by rents paid for by the individual served. The grants are offered by NYS through requests for proposals, which DiTommaso and her team have a unique expertise in applying for and receiving. The Residential Services Department includes prolific and successful grant application writers, who in 2019 were able to receive grants totaling more than $3 million.
DiTommaso explained how important housing is to an individual’s life and success.
“Housing is one key social determinant of health,” she said. “Individuals with serious mental illness, or other chronic illnesses, will not be able to satisfactorily achieve recovery unless their basic human needs, which include housing, are met. Saint Joseph’s is proud to be able to address the social determinants of health for the individuals we serve, through safe, dignified housing and associated support services.”
In the rear of Saint Joseph Hospital is the former Sisters of Charity residence, called Mary the Queen Convent. The building is under development and when completed in two years, will provide 72 units of affordable, supportive housing for seniors. But the need continues to grow for more affordable housing and special-needs housing for those who DiTommaso and the Residential Services Department at Saint Joseph’s serve.
Is New York State unique in this role?
“Other states have some residential opportunities, but nothing compares with the system of care that is funded by the NYS Office of Mental Health,” said DiTommaso.
Do other large hospital in the area provide these services?
“In the past, large hospital systems were rarely interested in housing,” she continued. “Within New York State, there are only a handful of hospitals that provide housing, but this is changing rapidly. Without a roof over your head, you cannot have good health, and NYS has made a priority in their funding to hospitals… So for both quality of health care and for financial reasons, housing is now viewed as a valuable asset to hospital systems, and Saint Joseph’s unquestionably has a large advantage in obtaining NYS-funded projects due to its long history and expertise in the housing area.”
DiTommaso currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association for Community Living, a statewide association of providers of mental health residential and housing programs, as well as several other local and state mental health committees and housing campaigns.
In 2004, she was honored by the National Alliance for Mental Illness for her advocacy on behalf of persons with mental illness and their families. In 2018, she was named by City and State Magazine as one of New York’s 30 Most remarkable women, and last year she was recognized by the Sisters of Charity with its Fire of Charity Award.
For more information on services offered through Saint Joseph’s Department of Residential Services, or to make a referral, call 718-982-4740 or email cpisaniello@svwsjmc.org.
