A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER DR. ROSA GIL

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Dear Friends,

When we opened Comunilife in 1989, we knew that to truly help New York City’s Latino community we had provide services that incorporated the culture and the language of our clients. We quickly learned that many of the issues facing at-risk residents started with the inability to maintain safe and affordable housing. This was decades before the buzz words “housing is a social determinant of health” and “health disparities” entered everyday vernacular.

These have been Comunilife’s guiding principals for 34 years and are reflected in our mission to provide vulnerable communities with housing and culturally sensitive supportive services. That without a permanent place to live it is impossible to overcome the health and social issues that plague our community. We believe that no one should be without the housing and supports they need to lead a healthy, meaningful life.

My more than 50 years of experience in housing, health care and many levels of government and the extensive experience of Comunilife’s staff has enabled us to anticipate community needs and to positively affect change in the lives of more than 3,000 at-risk New Yorkers annually. These outcomes would not be possible without the dedication of its Board of Directors and staff as well our government, foundation and corporate partners.

On behalf of the Comunilife family thank you for your support.

Rosa M. Gil, DSW
President and CEO

ABOUT OUR FOUNDER DR. ROSA GIL

Dr. Rosa M. Gil, Comunilife’s Founder, President and CEO, has had a distinguished career in New York City’s health, mental health, supportive housing, social service and higher education sectors. At Comunilife, which opened in 1989, she has developed more than 3,059 units of affordable and supportive housing for the City’s hardest to reach residents, the homeless, mentally ill, and people living with HIV/AIDS, and continues to develop new housing opportunities. Under her leadership, Comunilife started Life is Precious™, a nationally recognized program for Latina teens who have seriously considered or attempted suicide and opened Medical Respite Program, which is the only one of its kind in New York City.

Dr. Gil is the former Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In addition, she has been appointed to other numerous Federal, State and City commissions and boards including NYS Vaccine Taskforce, NYS Suicide Prevention Council, The Board of Health (NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene), NYS Governor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness, The Commission of Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century (The Berger Commission), and The Minority Women Panel on Health Experts (U.S. Public Health Services). Dr. Gil is a member of the President Carter Mental Health Task Force and the Board of Trustees of EmblemHealth.

In addition to her tenure at Comunilife, Dr. Gil was, among many positions, the Chairperson of the NYC Health and Hospital Corporation, Health Policy Advisor to the Mayor, Executive Director of Woodhull Medical Center and Metropolitan Hospital, Executive Deputy Commissioner for Families and Children Services at the NYC Human Resources Administration and the University Dean for Health Sciences at CUNY. She is one of the founders of the Urban Institute for Behavioral Health of New York City, Latino Commission on AIDS, the Association of Hispanic Mental Health Professionals and 100 Hispanic Women.

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