Interfaith Nutrition Network - Mary Brennan INN

The INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network) addresses the issues of hunger and homelessness on Long Island by providing food, shelter, long-term housing, and supportive services in a dignified and respectful manner for those who seek our help. We are a not-for-profit, volunteer-based organization with a dedicated staff, a broad base of community support and a commitment to educate the public about these issues.

The INN's emergency shelters provide housing and supportive services for guests experiencing the trauma of homelessness. The INN has three emergency shelters in Nassau County two family shelters and one shelter for single men. The INN shelters are open all year long and staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Each shelter has a social worker to assist guests with crisis intervention and prevention, goal identification and achievement, and overcoming barriers that led to homelessness. The social worker also assists the guests in identifying and developing support systems and services to prevent the future of homelessness. Support staff helps guests to adjust to communal living; ensure a safe, stable, dignified environment; and provide information and referrals.

Additional services provided to the shelters include educational workshops for the guests on activities of daily living, parenting, employment, nutrition, etc.


Long Term Housing
We are the only nonprofit organization on Long Island that has a comprehensive program for homeless families, providing safe, well maintained, affordable housing for 23 families, accompanied by a full range of intensive and supportive services. Homeless families who qualify for the program are offered apartments at a reduced rental rate. These families receive case management services to assist them with self-sufficiency goals. These services include counseling and case management, life skills training, tenancy and home management, educational tutoring for children and parents, and vocational training. The program focuses on the elimination of the causes of homelessness so that families can become independent and successfully graduate from our program.

Veterans Housing
Catherine Martin INN (CMI) provides communal, transitional housing for homeless male veterans who have completed substance abuse rehabilitation programs and have maintained sobriety for at least nine months.

The CMI program focuses on education and skills for future independence. The veterans receive case management services from licensed social workers who assist tenants in achieving goals leading to self-sufficiency.

These case management services include crisis intervention and prevention, life-skills training, home management, budgeting and educational/vocational training. Referrals are also given for counseling when needed. The rooms are offered at a reduced rental rate to give the veterans an opportunity to focus on their goals. The INN works closely with the VA in Northport, as well as other veteran agencies, in connecting CMI veterans to the necessary resources.

Many of the veterans who have been through CMI have pursued higher education including Bachelor's Degrees, Associate Degrees and various Vocational Certifications. They secured careers with higher incomes and created significant work histories in the fields of their choice, allowing them to move on from the program and launching independent and self-sufficient lives.

During their time at CMI, veterans work with their social worker to find ways to repair relationships that were damaged during their time of substance abuse. The veterans at CMI are provided with a support system that provides them with coping skills to carry them through the future when they have finished the program and are successfully on their own.