A look back/a look ahead

Thank you for a year of progress

With the stubborn shadow of covid still lurking, challenges have continued to arise as we take on new endeavors and seek to expand our existing services. Yet, despite our challenges, we were able to make exciting moves forward thanks to the kindness and support of our friends and donors, and the commitment of our staff.

This year saw the birth of our Life Skills department. This program provides assistance and counseling to women who need help navigating bureaucratic procedures on their path to progress, such as housing and insurance applications and school enrollments. Life Skills staff meets patients where they are, providing the help of our on-hand resources and linking them to additional sources that can give them what they need while respecting confidentiality and maintaining a safe space.

Despite covid challenges, this past August, Camp Rise Up was able to bring the number of kids hosted up to 80, with plans to reach 100 next year. Again, with the help of donors and supporters, this once modest day program, now a sleepaway camp, was able to enrich and expand its curriculum, not only during the six days at the campsite but also through virtual camp activities throughout the year.

We’ve had a year bounding forward, and with 2023 fast approaching, we are optimistic about what the coming year will bring.

Since eyecare is the primary referral for children who are homeless, we are looking forward to establishing our first eyecare clinic and being able to provide this much-needed service. Another opening forecasted for 2023 is a larger Astoria-based clinic, for which The Floating Hospital will work alongside developers with the approval of Innovation Queens in Astoria.

In Brooklyn, we will partner with Volunteers of America to provide healthcare services at the Legacy Family Shelter (formerly the Flatlands Family Shelter). We are excited about this collaboration and hope to partner with VOA on additional projects in the future. Finally, we are excited to welcome former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and her longtime colleague and friend Martin Tuchman to our Floating Hospital Foundation Board.

In these times of rising inflation and an endless stream of negative newsfeeds, it’s important to remind ourselves that there are groups out there, like the staff of The Floating Hospital, who provide something unequivocally positive to this world—and who strive to help others find the relief they need.