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Jeffrey Ginsburg on Building Systems that Reduce Homelessness and Expand Opportunity
Description
In this episode, Greg Morris sits down with Jeffrey Ginsburg, President & CEO of Volunteers of America–Greater New York, to explore the systems driving the city’s housing crisis, and what it will take to fix them. Drawing on his experience in East Harlem and now leading one of the city’s largest human services organizations, Jeff shares how housing instability, education, and economic opportunity are deeply connected.
They discuss the barriers that keep thousands of New Yorkers cycling through homelessness, from bureaucratic delays to lack of political will, and unpack VOA-GNY’s “Street to Home” model, an approach focused on getting people into stable housing quickly rather than navigating a fragmented shelter system.
The conversation also highlights a central tension: we know what works, yet struggle to scale it. From empty housing units to lessons learned during COVID and progress with veteran homelessness, Jeff makes the case that meaningful change is possible if systems align with urgency and intention.
Produced by: Manhattan Neighborhood Network
Published by: New York City Employment and Training Coalition
Topics: homelessness; affordable housing; human services; workforce development; public policy; Street to Home; veteran homelessness; systems reform; economic mobility