Upstream Symposium 2026: Frontline Solutions to Homelessness

9 AM EDT

Introductory Remarks

Ramzy Badawy

Executive Director

HELP USA

Danielle Devine

AVP of Supportive Services

HELP USA

Ramzy Badawy

Executive Director

HELP USA

Danielle Devine

AVP of Supportive Services

HELP USA

Ramzy Badawy

Executive Director

HELP USA

Danielle Devine

AVP of Supportive Services

HELP USA

9:10 AM EDT

Keynote Speaker Remarks

9:15 AM EDT

Welcome Remarks

Dan Lehman

President and CEO

HELP USA

Dan Lehman

President and CEO

HELP USA

Dan Lehman

President and CEO

HELP USA

9:30 AM EDT

Opening Plenary - Housing as the Goal: Moving Beyond a Shelter-First Response

10 AM EDT

Policy: From Shelter Obligation to Housing Strategy

Rafael E. Cestero (Moderator)

Chief Executive Officer

The Community Preservation Corporation

RuthAnne Visnauskas

Commissioner and CEO

New York State Homes and Community Renewal

Carlina Rivera

President and CEO

New York State Association for Affordable Housing

Joshua Johnson

Vice President of Training and Technical Assistance

National Alliance to End Homelessness

New York spends billions responding to homelessness, but the path from shelter to permanent housing remains too slow, fragmented, and difficult to navigate. This panel will examine the policy, funding, regulatory, and administrative changes needed to make housing the organizing goal of the system—not a separate endpoint people struggle to reach after a crisis.

Rafael E. Cestero (Moderator)

Chief Executive Officer

The Community Preservation Corporation

RuthAnne Visnauskas

Commissioner and CEO

New York State Homes and Community Renewal

Carlina Rivera

President and CEO

New York State Association for Affordable Housing

Joshua Johnson

Vice President of Training and Technical Assistance

National Alliance to End Homelessness

New York spends billions responding to homelessness, but the path from shelter to permanent housing remains too slow, fragmented, and difficult to navigate. This panel will examine the policy, funding, regulatory, and administrative changes needed to make housing the organizing goal of the system—not a separate endpoint people struggle to reach after a crisis.

+2

New York spends billions responding to homelessness, but the path from shelter to permanent housing remains too slow, fragmented, and difficult to navigate. This panel will examine the policy, funding, regulatory, and administrative changes needed to make housing the organizing goal of the system—not a separate endpoint people struggle to reach after a crisis.

Rafael E. Cestero (Moderator)

Chief Executive Officer

The Community Preservation Corporation

RuthAnne Visnauskas

Commissioner and CEO

New York State Homes and Community Renewal

Carlina Rivera

President and CEO

New York State Association for Affordable Housing

Joshua Johnson

Vice President of Training and Technical Assistance

National Alliance to End Homelessness

New York spends billions responding to homelessness, but the path from shelter to permanent housing remains too slow, fragmented, and difficult to navigate. This panel will examine the policy, funding, regulatory, and administrative changes needed to make housing the organizing goal of the system—not a separate endpoint people struggle to reach after a crisis.

+2

11 AM EDT

Morning Break

11:20 AM EDT

Practice: The Missing Path from Crisis to Home

Baaba Halm (Moderator)

SVP, Programs

Enterprise Community Partners

Daniel Farrell, LCSW

Chief Operating Officer

HELP USA

On the ground, the gaps are visible: people enter shelter when prevention fails, wait too long for housing pathways to open, and often need support after placement to remain stably housed. This panel will focus on the operating models that can connect the pieces — shelter, prevention, housing navigation, supportive services, affordable housing operations, and tenancy support — so people are not left to move through disconnected systems on their own.

Baaba Halm (Moderator)

SVP, Programs

Enterprise Community Partners

Daniel Farrell, LCSW

Chief Operating Officer

HELP USA

On the ground, the gaps are visible: people enter shelter when prevention fails, wait too long for housing pathways to open, and often need support after placement to remain stably housed. This panel will focus on the operating models that can connect the pieces — shelter, prevention, housing navigation, supportive services, affordable housing operations, and tenancy support — so people are not left to move through disconnected systems on their own.

Baaba Halm (Moderator)

SVP, Programs

Enterprise Community Partners

Daniel Farrell, LCSW

Chief Operating Officer

HELP USA

On the ground, the gaps are visible: people enter shelter when prevention fails, wait too long for housing pathways to open, and often need support after placement to remain stably housed. This panel will focus on the operating models that can connect the pieces — shelter, prevention, housing navigation, supportive services, affordable housing operations, and tenancy support — so people are not left to move through disconnected systems on their own.

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