| Karen Jorgensen is the Director of Valley Lodge, West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing’s (WSFSSH) 110-bed transitional shelter for homeless individuals 50 years or older that opened in 1988. Karen has been dedicated to working with homeless people her entire life, initially as a volunteer and then came to work for WSFSSH in 1986, during the preparation phases of Valley Lodge. Under Karen’s leadership, Valley Lodge has placed about 2,200 people into permanent affordable and supportive housing. If you asked Karen today, she could name all 2,200 of those people and tell you where they currently live. Karen keeps track of everyone who has ever moved on from Valley Lodge (or “graduated” as she calls it) to permanent housing. She and her team have managed to find a way to provide the services they need to remain permanently housed. Residents placed in housing by Valley Lodge do not return to the shelter system. They remain permanently housed. Karen invites each person back to Valley Lodge once per year to their annual anniversary party, recognizing them by graduating class. Karen is a fierce advocate for the right to shelter. Karen’s staunch advocacy, passion and attention to detail are unparalleled. Whether asking thought-provoking questions in a government meeting, participating in an organized campaign or advocating for the rights of one of her individual residents, Karen never misses an opportunity to stand up for the rights of homeless people. In 1988 Valley Lodge was created out of two tenements on 198th St. to house 92 residents. Karen has provided tremendous support to people struggling with sobriety and created paths to employment for people in recovery. Early on, Karen and her team at Valley Lodge created a program with a full range of support, including medical services, psychiatric services, and case management, in addition to addiction and recovery support and housing placement. By the 2010’s it became clear that the building of Valley Lodge was in desperate need of total renovation. Under Karen’s leadership, her team relocated the shelter during construction and then moved back to an innovative state-of-the-art facility which now houses 110 homeless individuals and has 198 units of supportive housing in the same complex. Karen is the embodiment of going #AboveAndBeyond |
