What We Do
Steward Management Group originally began as a local real estate investment company which 9 years ago shifted its focus and moved into solely providing housing for those in need. One of the managing members had a bout with substance abuse and homelessness, because of the help he received from his fellow peers and all the counselors involved in his treatment and recovery he wanted to give back but was unclear how he would go about doing that.
It all became clear when he was presented with the opportunity to provide housing for a few people who were dealing with mental illness. Ever since that September day in 2012 he has not looked back and has been providing housing for those in need ever since. Now focusing on providing all-inclusive therapeutic shared and independent support based housing for those in the NY, FL & CT special needs community,
The Steward Group of companies was born.
Steward Holdings, the parent company to Steward Management Group, acquires its properties by saving distressed properties from becoming run down and forgotten; which decrease a neighborhood’s property values and turns them into newly renovated gems. When the demand for housing reaches certain highs, S.M.G acquires newly developed properties as to not keep clients waiting for the housing they so desperately need. Purchasing distressed assets and renovating them allows the area to maintain its values. Many times it saves property owners from difficult financial situations, or worse, foreclosure, and puts them in a better financial position as well.
The properties provide the perfect situation for giving those in need a place to live and grow among society. Our shared housing options are fully furnished, newly renovated and range from single family and 2-4 unit multi-family dwellings as well as apartment and mixed use buildings come with all utilities and housekeeping included, rolled all into one low monthly below market rental payment. All the Independent housing S.M.G provides are also newly renovated or brand new construction that include many added amenities within the property.
The last significant addition to our housing locations is each property provides and offers an array of services, ranging from Primary Medical, Behavioral Health, ADL Skill Development, Job Readiness, Employment Opportunities and many other much needed services that are all provided with one thing in mind, the success of the resident. We meet people where they are and help build a foundation from there, because having or expecting someone to fit into a cookie cutter model is only going against the grain and placing barriers in front of them from day one.
Our objective is to have our residents see progress and a winning spirit and to help teach them a better way of doing things and that its acceptable to stumble and have failures, because you can not have or achieve success without experiencing failure. We show them how to avoid experiencing those failures a second time.
S.M.G offers more than just providing housing to families and individuals; S.M.G offers our residents a chance at a new and better beginning and a road map to get there.
Our Mission
Steward Management Group is a unique, community based agency specifically designed to provide housing solutions, medical and behavioral health services in conjunction with peer support for adults that suffer from chronic homelessness, substance use disorder and mental illness so they may live with meaning and dignity while building a foundation for the future.
Our Commitment
We provide a holistic peer and client centered approach through in-house or linked services that recognizes whole person wellness (physical, social, emotional, spiritual, vocational and volunteer).
Through open communication and involvement, our services will provide support to the residents in our care. Our support will be reliable, inviting, caring and nurturing.
Our team invests their time with continued training to enhance their skills. Their efforts will reflect their commitment to ongoing personal growth. Our professionals will be chosen not only for their skill but for their willingness or calling to serve this population of people.
We are mindful and committed to individual choice, privacy, dignity and respect while creating a sense of community. We are open, thoughtful and responsive.
Our Results
At Steward Management Group, we are supporting transformations that will last a lifetime. Each year, with our help, the number of men and women who transform their lives, gain stability and enrich their lives with a sense of community grows exponentially.
Our attention to both quantitative and qualitative indicators helps us identify and implement best practices and develop new housing programs and services in changing client needs.
Why Our Model Works
More than half of homeless single adults in the United States struggle with mental illness, substance abuse, and chronic health problems like HIV/AIDS – issues that contribute to and maintain their homelessness. Individuals facing these issues are not helped by shelters or soup kitchens. In fact, they often reject such short-term fixes, instead cycling repeatedly through emergency rooms, psychiatric hospitals and jails – the most costly “shelters” of all.
Peer Support Based Housing, by contrast, is extremely effective and extremely cost-effective:
The S.M.G. approach enables homeless individuals to overcome the complex challenges posed by mental illness, substance abuse, past trauma, and other barriers to stability by:
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Providing safe, permanent homes without conditions: Our clients are not obligated to complete a rehabilitation program, attain sobriety, or meet any other preconditions before moving into housing.
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Fostering a supportive peer environment focused on connectedness: Peer services address essential needs, while also creating opportunities for socializing, recreation, and community connectedness.
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Transforming individuals, buildings and neighborhoods: At our inception, Steward Management restored hundreds of properties all across New York and now CT & FL, converting dilapidated and crime-ridden buildings into vibrant, affordable housing with on-site peer and employment services for residents. This restoration helped catalyze the revitalization of several neighborhood and introduced a new, results-oriented approach to addressing homelessness. Many of our residences have been replicated elsewhere in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut as well as in many other cities throughout the country.
Saving Public Dollars
Steward Management Groups approach to addressing homelessness not only saves lives, it saves public dollars. The annual cost to provide a single adult with a support based housing model is $24,190, or less than half the cost of providing emergency, inpatient, and other crisis services to an unhoused individual with mental illness:
The S.M.G. Mindset
Steward Management Group has structured its housing locations to have and offer, on site, to all our current and future residents several different but much needed foundation building services. Through our partnerships and neighborhood collaborations we are able to offer services such as primary medical care, behavioral health, HCBS and several other specialty services right inside of the properties where our residents live or we have them brought to them through the mobile services units provide by our partners. S.M.G isn't just housing families and individuals, we are building foundations, shaping lives and creating futures.