Interested in getting involved in OHI’s city- and state-level policy advocacy efforts to end homelessness in NYC? Join OHI's member-led Policy and Advocacy Committee for our next meeting.

On the agenda:

• Planning actions in support of our policy priorities

This meeting will be on Zoom. RSVP below to get the Zoom link!

We are in need of a few more volunteers to help lead art workshops at a supportive housing site on the UES! Support neighbors as they learn and create. No art experience is required and we’ll provide the supplies!

Our next session is on Wednesday, 2/25 from 2-3:30 PM. Location upon RSVP!

Email caroline@openheartsinitiative.org if you’re interested in helping out! Address will be provided upon RSVP.

Join us for our monthly Housing Justice is Racial Justice meeting. This month’s topic: building deeply affordable housing.

We’ll be looking at parts of the Coalition for the Homeless’s recent Build From the Bottom Up report and discussing what it means for housing justice and racial justice that much of NYC’s affordable housing isn’t affordable to folks with the lowest incomes—and learning about how we can fix it!

This is an informal reading and discussion group for OHI members to learn together about the intersections of housing justice and racial justice and the roots of the housing and homelessness crisis in policies driven by systemic racism. It's a "101" type of space to learn and grow together, so no expertise is required (in fact, it’s geared towards folks who may not know much about these topics!) and is open to all OHI members. Each meeting focuses on a different “text” chosen by an OHI member that will serve as a jumping-off point for discussion. (Want to choose a text and help facilitate a meeting in the future? Reach out to Will at will@openheartsinitiative.org.)

If you're interested in joining, click the button below to RSVP, and we’ll share the reading and Zoom details.

I want to volunteer at the Free Store:

We need LOTS of volunteers on the day of the Free Store, including for shifts before and after the event. Sign up here

I want to donate items to the Free Store:

There are two ways to donate:

Drop off donations: We're looking for new or gently used winter clothing, hygiene supplies, and food pantry items. These items can be dropped off any time in Harlem, or every Sunday from 11-12:30 in Park Slope, Brooklyn. You can also arrange a drop-off in Clinton Hill, East New York, or Manhattan. Sign up to donate here.

Donate to the paypal for hygiene supplies and snacks here!

Do you help lead programming at shelters or supportive housing sites with OHI? Join our programming discussion to meet other volunteers doing similar work and learn from each other. RSVP below.

NOTE: While all are welcome to join, this meeting is intended for OHI members who are already involved in programming and want to strategize about it together. If you’re looking to get involved in programming for the first time, check out our events page.

We have a great group of volunteers leading weekly English language learning classes at a shelter in the Riverdale area of the Bronx, which take place on Mondays 4:00-5:00 PM & 7:00-8:00 PM as well as Thursdays 4:00-5:00 PM. If you’re interested in helping out with this, email Caroline at caroline@openheartsinitiative.org. 

Want to build your knowledge about homelessness in NYC? Interested in advocating for housing and shelters in your neighborhood and citywide, but not sure you know enough to do so? Our Homelessness Basics workshop is a great place to start. This virtual, small-group workshop is highly interactive, so come ready to participate!

This workshop is part of our advocacy workshop series. We’ll cover:

• The evidence for why homelessness is a housing problem

• History of homelessness in NYC

• Different types of shelter and housing

This workshop will take place on Zoom on Thursday, February 12, from 6:45pm-8:45pm. It’s totally free. NOTE: If you RSVP initially and are no longer able to attend, no hard feelings--we understand that life happens--but we ask you to cancel your RSVP so we can admit additional participants off the waitlist.

Sign up here or using the button below. Questions? Email Will at will@openheartsinitiative.org. 

Our monthly Homelessness: Learning From Experience (HLFE) meetings provide a space for unhoused neighbors to share experiences, build connections, and provide input that informs OHI's work. These meetings are also a great opportunity for folks who are housed to listen and learn about homelessness and build connections with neighbors in a casual setting.

If you're interested in joining us, click the button below to RSVP. Location will be shared upon RSVP.

We’ll be talking about:

• Our 2026 policy priorities

• Doing a short photography activity!

Questions? Email Will at will@openheartsinitiative.org.

Join the Homes for NYC coalition, of which OHI is a part, for a rally!

Homes For NYC fights to end mass homelessness by prioritizing homeless and extremely low-income households in NYC's affordable housing development. More than 100,000 people are now sleeping in shelters each night, and many of the City’s lowest-income households are at risk of homelessness because they are paying more than 50 percent of their income in rent. New York City cannot escape this crisis without directly addressing the systemic failure to ensure that there is enough housing with rents affordable to the lowest income households. 

OHI will have a contingent at the rally alongside several other allied organizations. RSVP below if you want to meet up with OHI folks at the rally!

Are you helping out at our 2/21 Free Store in Brooklyn? Join this planning meeting—and mini volunteer orientation!—to get oriented to Open Hearts and plan logistics for the Free Store.

7pm-7:30pm: Volunteer orientation

7:30pm-8pm: Free Store planning

Folks are welcome to join both parts of the meeting or just one part! If you haven’t yet participated in an Open Hearts volunteer orientation, we encourage you to join at 7pm! RSVP below for the Zoom link.

Interested in getting involved in OHI’s city- and state-level policy advocacy efforts to end homelessness in NYC? Join OHI's member-led Policy and Advocacy Committee for our next meeting.

On the agenda:

• Finalizing (!!) our policy priorities for 2026

This meeting will be on Zoom. RSVP below to get the Zoom link!