Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Urban Resource Institute (URI) provides life-saving, empowering social services for New Yorkers who are suffering and recovering from domestic violence. For 38 years, URI has been innovating and developing new programs to improve the lives of vulnerable New Yorkers, with a particular focus on survivors of domestic violence. We help individuals and families escape abuse, safely heal, and gain the resources needed to live healthy, independent lives. We also are the only organization in New York City and one of the few nationally that extends these services to pets.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Domestic Violence Programs
Safety, support, and self-sufficiency—these are the hallmarks of URI’s domestic violence programs. Serving more than 1,400 clients each year, URI is one of the largest and most comprehensive domestic violence service providers in New York City.
The safe shelter and emergency services we provide are critical—but they’re only the first step. Our clients receive long-term housing assistance, job-search skills, and medical, therapeutic, financial, legal, and follow-up services that empower them to gain stability, plan for a secure future, and make a new start.
The following services are available in English and Spanish:
Individual and group counseling focuses on safety assessment and planning, recovery from trauma, and family relationships.
Family counseling helps families in crisis adjust to their new surroundings and begin the healing process.
Medical referrals are provided to off-site hospitals and clinics in the community.
Legal services help families navigate the court system and enforce their rights. Our Legal Education and Advocacy Program (LEAP) provides specialized legal services to our domestic violence shelter residents.
Child therapy, administered by qualified professionals, helps children living in shelter cope with the trauma associated with domestic violence.
Recreational activities for adults and children are arranged on a regular basis, on-and off-site. Activities range from physical fitness to cultural and social outings.
Educational/vocational services include educational evaluations and guidance, GED preparation classes, daily practical skills classes, resume-writing workshops, and assistance with developing job-interviewing skills. Our Working Internship Network (WIN) gives shelter residents an opportunity to become interns in various work settings and gain valuable on-the-job training.
Children’s services include a daily pre-school program for toddlers and young children and onsite child care.
Housing assistance helps clients search for safe, permanent housing.
Special workshops, such as cooking classes and computer training, provide clients with a range of new skills they can apply.
Comprehensive aftercare/discharge planning allows individuals to utilize shelter services as a resource even after they leave the facility.
URI Individualized Residential Alternative and Intermediate Care Facilities:
URI’s Individualized Residential Alternative (IRAs) and Intermediate Care Facilities (ICFs) are 24-hour programs certified by the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. These programs provide residential care for adult men and women with developmental disabilities. Individualized service options are provided in a supportive environment by direct care professionals, qualified health professionals, Medicaid service coordinators, and client coordinators.
All of URI’s facilities offer individualized treatment planning and care coordination as well as a wide variety of services, including transportation to and from day programs; community integration and recreational activities; nutritional, occupational, and physical therapies; and speech services.
We offer:
• Round-the-Clock Staff Support and Supervision:
Specially trained employees are assigned to each site 24 hours a day. Additional employees are assigned to the morning and evening shifts—times when residents require the highest level of assistance. Staff members who provide direct services to residents are trained and certified in medication administration, first aid, and CPR, as well as other specialties. Appropriate resident-to-staff ratios are maintained to ensure that each resident receives the proper level of attention and care.
• Individual Program Planning: a team of professionals—representative of various disciplines—reviews each case to ensure sufficient attention is paid to each resident’s individual strengths, needs, abilities, and preferences. Goals and objectives are developed accordingly. We maintain quality assurance in our service delivery through Onsite monitoring and monthly meetings of the Incident Review and Human Rights Committees.
• Medication Administration: Direct Care Professionals are trained and certified to administer various medications to residents under the direct supervision of a licensed health care professional. A local pharmacy, under a formal agreement with URI, provides assistance with medication administration and pharmaceutical supplies.
• Recreation: recreational activities are scheduled year-round and include evening and weekend social functions, day trips to special events, summer overnight camp, and overnight out-of-town trips.
For more information, please contact the Program Director or Program Manager at any of URI’s three residences:
Beny J. Primm Residence: (718) 899-8622
Linden House: (718) 322-9127
Ferndale House: (718) 558-0350
URI People and Animals Living Safely (URIPALS)
As many as 48 percent of domestic violence victims stay in abusive situations because they don’t want to leave their pet behind.* (* Frank Ascione, Ph.D. , Utah State University, 1997, 1998). They fear that the abuser might harm the animal if there’s no one there to protect it—a fear that, sadly, is well-founded, as pets are easy targets for abuse—and they aren’t willing to take that risk.
Pets are part of the family. Boarding or pet foster programs often aren’t an option, and owners are reluctant to separate from their beloved animals. For children who have witnessed or experienced abuse and have been forced to leave their home and personal belongings, losing contact with a cherished pet is yet another source of trauma.
URI’s programs are about supporting individuals and families and protecting the whole family from abuse—and we knew a solution was needed. That’s why we’ve launched URIPALS—People and Animals Living Safely, a pilot program at URI’s Urban Women’s Safe Haven shelter, in partnership with the Mayor’s Alliance for New York City’s Animals. URIPALS, the first co-sheltering program in NYC and one of few offered nationwide, equips the shelter to house families and pets together, preserving the welfare and safety of all.
The program has begun by accepting small animals such as cats, rabbits, birds, and fish, and URI is seeking funding and resources to equip the facility to accept dogs and expand the program to other shelters. Your support will help us protect people and pets from abuse.
Legal Education and Advocacy Program (LEAP)
URI’s Domestic Violence Legal Education and Advocacy Program (LEAP) provides specialized, on-site legal services to the residents of the agency’s four domestic violence shelters.
Entering shelter is often the first step to ending an abusive relationship. If domestic violence victims don’t understand their legal options, they may feel compelled to return to their abusers. URI ensures that its shelter residents are educated about their legal rights and have immediate access to the legal support and services they need to achieve and maintain their independence.
Homelessness
Our social service teams assess each family’s circumstance and work with them to identify the specific support they need. We help families create individual living plans and housing exit strategies, and we provide comprehensive and continuous case management and support so that residents can stay on track and meet their goals.
We have housing specialists who connect families to landlords; social workers who counsel clients who need support; education specialist who work with the Board of Education to get children into neighborhoods school if needed, and tutors who hold afternoon homework sessions to help children who struggle academically.
Finding affordable housing in NYC is already a daunting challenge, so URI housing specialists work double-duty to ensure that residents are as well positioned as possible to secure homes for their families. They make sure clients have all necessary documentation; conduct mock interviews to prepare them for meetings with landlords and real estate management companies; assist with appropriate attire for interviews, and provide transportation to and from meetings.
Where we work
External reviews

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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clients placed in internships
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Economically disadvantaged people, Unemployed people
Related Program
Domestic Violence Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We know economic abuse impacts over 98% of survivors. While everyone’s experience is unique we often assume that a survivor has experienced some form of economic abuse.
Number of clients passing job skill competency exams or assessments after completing course
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Victims and oppressed people, People with disabilities
Related Program
URI Individualized Residential Alternative and Intermediate Care Facilities:
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
WIN gives participants an opportunity to learn marketable skills and gain experience in professional work environments UCDD provides one-on-one job counseling, training, placement.
Number of job skills training courses/workshops conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth, Families
Related Program
Domestic Violence Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
UCDD provides one-on-one job counseling, training, placement, and job-site coaching. LEAP provides individualized on-site comp. legal advice and support. WIN gives opportunity to learn.
Number of program/model/intervention innovations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Families, Victims and oppressed people
Related Program
Domestic Violence Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients placed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Families, Homeless people
Related Program
Homelessness
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We have housing specialists who connect families to landlords, social workers who counsel clients that need support, and education specialists that collaborate with the Board of Education.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
1. Results: URI's programs are designed and implemented to get results/outcomes and to advance the fields of domestic violence and social services.
2. Resource Development: URI has the resources that allow us to achieve our mission and sustain our social value over the long-term.
3. Systems for Performance Management: URI is a data-driven organization with the systems in place to allow us to measure the performance of staff and the quality and effectiveness of programs for our target population.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
RESULTS
-- We have programs that are client-centered, trauma informed, evidence-based, and responsive to what we see as changes in the external environment
-- We embrace innovation to push for results/outcomes
-- We identify and act on systems critical for addressing domestic violence in the long-term
-- We constantly measure what works and innovate to improve our quality and effectiveness
-- We have taken steps that have led to our being recognized as a thought leader in the domestic violence field, which is core to our identity
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
-- We have defined and developed a culture of philanthropy
-- We have financial sustainability plans for programs that are at the core of our mission
-- We have comprehensive strategy for financing the organization that supports core mission work and innovation
-- We are known for its brand and approach that reinforces the practice of mission, vision, & values and embraces continuous innovation
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
As a thought-leader in the field of domestic violence, we have expert spokespersons for matters related to interpersonal violence, homelessness, economic empowerment, developmental disabilities, non-profit leadership, strategic planning, and fiscal management.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As a data-driven organization, URI has designed meaningful metrics to assess program results, program quality and staff performance, effectiveness in operations, and financial strength. We use technology to empower and support data collection, ensuring our program operations and strategic management functions are informed by meaningful information. URI also incorporate environmental scanning (e.g. external data about need, clients, funding, partners, and changes in social policy) into its data collection and use, to assure that it is continuously responsive to environmental changes.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
URBAN RESOURCE INSTITUTE
Board of directorsas of 02/25/2021
Mr. Whittaker Mack III, CFP®
JP Morgan Securities LLC
Term: 2016 -
Corinna Grant
King’s County Hospital Center
Osy Harrison
Mission Be
Lisa Ross, MD
Harlem Hospital
Nina Esaki, PhD
Andrus Sanctuary Institute
Carmen Smith
Walt Disney Imagineering and Parks and Resorts
Charles Gergel
Cullen and Dykman, LLP
Adrienne Peterson
HSBC Bank
Vivian Bright
Berean Baptist Church
Alan Kolod
Moses & Singer
Esther Lainis
Capital One
Kenneth Pollack
Estee Lauder
Whittaker Mack III, CFP®
JP Morgan Securities LLC
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes