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14 East 28th Street * New York, NY 10016 |
| Contact: | Deborah Samuelson Director of Communications webmail2005@commonground.org 212-471-0885 |
New York, October 24, 2001 -- Rosanne Haggerty, founder and executive director of Common Ground Community was named one of 23 recipients of the 2001 MacArthur Fellowship, it was announced today by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
The MacArthur Fellows Program awards five-year unrestricted fellowships to individuals across all ages and fields who show exceptional merit and promise of continued and enhanced creative work. The Fellowships are awarded in the belief that individuals are likely to be most productive if they have support for their creative vision and the opportunity to design their own working conditions.
There is no application or interview process for the MacArthur Fellowships and the first word of the award comes in the form of a phone call from the Foundation. Several hundred people serve as nominators for the Fellows Program. These nominators, who serve anonymously, are chosen for their ability to identify people who demonstrate exceptional creativity in their work. A 13-member Selection Committee, whose members also serve anonymously, makes recommendations to the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Ms. Haggerty was awarded the Fellowship based on her years of dedicated service and commitment to creating innovative solutions to homelessness.
Ms. Haggerty founded Common Ground in 1990 to preserve and transform the bankrupt and decrepit Times Square Hotel -- a once gracious residence for entertainers and journalists -- into the nation’s largest supportive housing residence. In 1991 Common Ground acquired the Hotel and began an extensive two-part rehabilitation program. The first new tenants moved into The Times Square in February 1993 and construction was completed in 1994. Today the building is the largest example of permanent, affordable supportive housing for homeless and low-income individuals in the country. Building on its success with the Times Square, Common Ground purchased The Prince George Hotel in 1996 and the McBurney YMCA residence in 2000. Common Ground also manages the Aurora Hotel, a unique shared-living supportive housing residence for tenants who are elderly, low-income professionals and/or living with HIV/AIDS.
In the ten years since its inception, Ms. Haggerty has built Common Ground into a $16 million organization that provides housing for almost 1,500 tenants, manages four residential buildings and operates several small venture businesses including Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops and employment projects to assist tenants in returning to the work force.
"We believe that to rebuild an individual’s life from homelessness, one requires more than a home, more than good health, more than a job and more than a supportive community -- the entire package is necessary," said Ms. Haggerty. "And that is what Common Ground provides."
Prior to founding Common Ground, Ms. Haggerty held the position of Coordinator of Housing Development at Brooklyn Catholic Charities, operating in Brooklyn and Queens. She is a graduate of Amherst College and is currently completing graduate studies at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Historic Preservation. Ms. Haggerty is a Trustee of Amherst College and the Folger Shakespeare Library, a Director of the Times Square Business Improvement District, and a Board Member of New York City’s Citizen’s Housing & Planning Council and the Center for Urban Community Services.
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the human condition. The Foundation seeks the development of healthy individuals and effective communities; peace within and among nations; responsible choices about human reproduction; and a global ecosystem capable of supporting healthy human societies. The Foundation pursues this mission by supporting research, policy development, dissemination, education and training, and practice. The Foundation was created in 1978 by John D. MacArthur (1897-1978), who developed and owned Bankers Life and Casualty Company and other businesses. His wife Catherine (1909-1981) held positions in many of these companies and served as director of the Foundation.
Common Ground Community is a non-profit organization whose mission is ending homelessness. The organization develops innovative, community-based housing programs with services for the homeless and those with special needs.