your host, Jeff Simmons, and this is the
only podcast that focuses on Queens.
This podcast is brought to you by the
Queen’s Economic Development Corporation
and the Queen’s Tourism Council.
Together, they work to showcase our
burrow as a destination filled with
great experiences, cultural gems,
opportunities for everyone who lives
here, works here, or visits from near or
far. Now, nonprofits are truly the
lifeblood of Queens, serving every
corner and every community of our
diverse bureau. From food pantries,
youth development programs, mutual aid
programs, and senior centers to arts
collectives and employment services,
mental health clinics, these
organizations make Queens not just
livable, but a vibrant, innovative place
to call home. Nonprofits employ nearly
1ifth of our city’s workforce and drive
billions of dollars into our local
economy while offering hope and direct
help to the bureau’s most vulnerable
residents. There are hundreds of
nonprofits that span health care and
immigrant services, arts and cultural
organizations, food access, housing,
education, the environment, and social
justice. And their ability to adapt and
respond quickly is unmatched. And it’s
why supporting local nonprofits is
vital, especially during the giving
season. Among Queens’s most influential
nonprofits is Samaritan Daytop Village,
a pillar for individuals seeking
recovery, hope, and greater stability.
Founded decades ago, Samaritan Daytop
Village evolved from a single treatment
center into a network of services in New
York, specializing in substance use and
mental health treatment, supportive
housing, and outreach to justice
involved populations. The organization’s
mission has always been rooted in
breaking cycles of addiction,
homelessness, and despair while offering
practical steps toward a brighter future
for thousands of people every year. So
this month, as we honor our veterans,
it’s especially fitting to spotlight
Samaritan’s transformative work
supporting those who have served our
country. To help us understand firsthand
how these programs are changing lives,
I’m joined this week by Deerra Rice Ree,
assistant vice president of residential
and recovery services. Dearra has
dedicated her career to building
pathways out of crisis for veterans and
all New Yorkers seeking recovery and
stability. Dear Jice Ree, welcome to the
Its and Queens podcast.
Thank you. Thank you. Pleasure to have
pleasure to be here.
So for for anyone who’s not familiar,
how would you describe Samaritan Daytop
villages overall approach to supporting
New Yorkers?
So, so we take a person centered
approach and we develop recovery
supports, housing supports, food and
security supports, things that New
Yorkers need right now to navigate
what’s going on in our country, in our
world. Um, our treatment approaches
really focus on community as method. So,
each one teach one and help one, right?
we leave leave no one behind. Um so that
that’s really being able to uh hone in
on the needs of the individual and
address them specifically by different
treatment approaches is is what we do in
the treatment setting. Of course, as you
know, Samaritan has uh transitional
housing, which is, you know, aka
shelters. We have uh a food as medicine
program. We have a full uh federally
qualified health center. We have um
recovery supports across the state that
um work with individuals who are in
recovery but not necessarily need
treatment just need a connection, need a
continuing effort. We have alumni
supports. We have a permanent supportive
housing. We have a a program called food
is medicine which is helping people use
food to help them heal. So teaching you
how to eat properly, how to shop
properly. We have a financial literacy
program. We have a parenting program. So
it really depends on the needs but we we
attempt to address the needs as we as
they come to us.
A wide scope of program. So what are
some of the needs that you see among
veterans who are entering the Ed
Thompson Veterans Program uh compared to
you know veterans in other parts of the
state? Is there are there specific needs
in this area?
So so and
I would have to say that housing is a
big need across New York period. Um and
so in the densely populated Queens
really a challenge getting affordable
housing. uh as well as you know getting
veterans connected to service to VA
services um benefits that they are
eligible for that they may not have
attempted or may have you know lost
sight of um because of their uh
addiction and or other challenges mental
health issues. Um so so you know having
being in a state where there’s more than
200,000 veterans milling about um and
then hearing
that
22 of them die of suicide
uh every day is you know really painful.
So addressing that post-traumatic
stress, addressing those mental health
uh concerns is a key thing and that
would be that would be in Queens and and
in the state at large. Um I don’t know
that there’s anything more narrow for
Queens uh other than the housing issue.
How do how do people find out about you?
How do veterans find out about Samaritan
Daytop Village?
Well, hopefully they’ve heard of us. So,
the Samaritan’s Veterans Program will be
40 years old uh next year. So, turning
40 in ‘ 86, Ed Thompson found the need.
Ed Thompson was a Vietnam era veteran
who was a person that went into recovery
and thought that having some other
veterans working together in a
brotherhood would be more helpful. and
it became something that we adopted as
an agency and ran with it. And so we’ve
had um a solid focused attention on
veteran treatment for 40 years, right?
Its own not a track, not a not a group,
but a program that honed in on the needs
of veterans. And you know, a lot has to
do with PTSD. A lot has to do with um
building camaraderie, rebuilding um
honor and respect, um not just
patriotism to your country, but
certainly being concerned with yourself
and your community. So those things come
into play quite heavily. And I don’t I
can go on and on, but
how many how many veterans do you
normally work with in the course of a
year? So, in the course of a year, I’m
going to say about 150. Um,
and it really just depends on the year.
Uh, and that that would be in the
veteran specific recovery model. Um,
when you talk about veterans that might
be living in a shelter or a transitional
housing unit within a Samaritan, that
number would be much larger, you know,
upwards of 3 to 400. So, and it’s it’s a
challenging issue trying to determine
whether a veteran feels like a veteran.
Right? So, we don’t ask if you’re a
veteran. We asked if you ever served in
the military. Uh I recently met someone
who said, you know, “Yeah, well, I was,
you know, I was in, you know, the
service and whatever, but I don’t
consider myself as a veteran cuz I
didn’t go to war.” You’re a veteran if
you served. Period. And so many many
veterans sort of take that sort of
stance. Well, I didn’t fight. I wasn’t
affected. I just served cuz I wanted to
get out of the projects. Whatever
whatever the reasoning was for for
entering the military. But you are a
veteran regardless of your character of
discharge, regardless of your reasoning
for going in. You’re a veteran if you
served. Now the rules have changed. If
you served one day, you are considered a
veteran. So, you know, yeah.
So, you this is very meaningful work to
you because of also your career. I’d
love for you to talk a little about
that.
So, as an Air Force veteran and I served
many
more years ago than I want to account
for right now, um but serving, you know,
six years in the Air Force in logistics,
being able to um take my honor, code,
and spirit to the people that we serve,
it always makes it feel like we’re back
home. So we I can sit with a group of
men or women that have served and we can
talk like, you know, we were all in it
together that same week or that same
year. Um, and there’s just there’s just
a a camaraderie that connects us
forever. you’re forever connected and
wanting to assure that you could do
something to help someone at least take
their mind off some of the depression,
the stressors, the cravings, the you
know the challenges that they have um
through therapeutic recreation, through
um treatment programming and modeling,
through um activities related to the
core service. There are there are ways
that veteran to veteran works
differently than civilian to veteran,
right? So so having the ability to work
with people who’ve also served or having
staff that have military experience now
working with our clients, it really
makes a big difference because the the
men and women feel that. They understand
it. They recognize that this person
knows where I’ve been and they’ve been
able to overcome so many obstacles
because they know they’ve been through
it,
you know, and you have such a a
wonderful scope of programming and in my
view, you make a significant impact and
I’m sure you’ve heard a number of
stories from veterans you’ve worked with
whose whose lives have been improved so
significantly because of your work. Is
there one or two or just one that comes
to mind that you could think about
without using their name, I don’t want
to divulge anything we’re not supposed
to, but generally the type of re
responses you get from people that
you’ve served.
Oh, no. So, so recently and we we have
an annual what we call uh a alumni elite
black tie dinner and we had uh at the
alumni elite this year someone who had
uh 10 years of continuous recovery and
they talked about how they have uh
completed their degree. They now are um
living in a home, something that they
hadn’t, you know, not their own home. Um
they now uh work in a setting that helps
other veterans or other people. Um, and
they just, you know, they’re refusive
about how they took the time to
sacrifice their life for their country
and then when they went into a treatment
service or had to receive services,
they had to take the time to serve
themselves, to get service, to be to be
the recipient of the support that they
needed to to be um independent.
And for us, you know, being able to say,
you know, 10 years ago, I remember
seeing you in the in the admissions
waiting area and and you were trying to
get some help and and you really didn’t
want to do this. You didn’t want to I
don’t want to go in treatment. I don’t
want to be in long term. And now, you
know, 10 years later, you are, you know,
the success that we knew you could be.
You know, those kind of stories we hear
all the time, you know, all the time.
So, if uh anyone listening is a veteran
or knows a veteran who might be uh able
to access your services, what are some
of the steps they should take? What
should they know uh before they reach
out?
So, so you know, basically,
if you know how to use a phone, you can
make a phone call 71869.
Uh uh I’m losing my
Oh, I do this all the time.
Number
it’s I’m getting older. Um being able to
make a phone call or use a website, but
that’s 718657-6195
or 8553224357.
Those are two numbers that could get you
started. Or if you go to our website,
Samaritan V Samaritan Daytime Village,
www.samaran samaritanvillage.org.
That’s samaritanvillage.org.
Um, you’ll find a QR reader there. And
not just for for treatment services, you
can get career and employment supports.
You can know learn about the agency.
It’ll tell you about our board and
leadership, but about some of our
facilities. Um, right now, one of the
prime projects that we’re building is
affordable housing in the Bronx. the
hybrid section, a beautiful brand new
26story building with 400 units of uh of
affordable housing. So, lots of things
always happening. So, our website is
good place to start and on there you
would find uh for referrals or
admissions, click here. Um so, using the
website is good, but that phone call
will get you rolling and started into uh
you know the admissions group.
And Dearra, anything else you’d like to
add? anything else that’s on the horizon
involving your programming that you
think our listeners should know about?
So, you know,
I’d like to add that women
have a tendency to avoid
um residential treatment and services.
Um, and I shouldn’t say avoid, I should
say um just not avail themselves of that
resource. Um and for a number of reasons
and I understand it wholly at the same
time uh our resilience could be our
worst enemy at times right so we’re so
busy used to uh being used to surviving
that we don’t ask for help or take the
help as it’s offered and you know that’s
I would say that is one of the most
underutilized
resources that Samaritan has is serving
women and you know I want them to know
that they have a voice, a place, a you
know, a friend um and they can always
count on us. So if if any if not
anything else, know that women have a
place. All veterans are welcome. There
is no uh dis discernment between someone
who was honorably discharged or uh
dishonorably discharged owing to um an
issue or concern. and that we can
address individual needs as they arise.
So, please avail yourself self of the
services. That would be my that would be
my mantra.
And before I let you go, please remind
our listeners of the website address
again because I think that’s very
important for people to have.
It is www.samaritan.
That’s s a m a r i t a n village v i l l
a g e.org.
No, there’s no period or space between
Samaritan village. Sam
samaritanvillage.org.
Dear J Rice Ree, I want to thank you so
much for appearing on this week’s it’s
in Queens podcast.
Thank you so much. appreciate you and
thanks to all that served.
Beyond its innovative veterans program,
Samaritan Daytop Village operates a
robust network of outpatient and
residential treatment centers, senior
support hubs, and family shelters across
the bureau. The organization’s reach
includes Narcan overdose training,
afterare and vocational services, and
community education to help residents
build resilience and thrive no matter
their circumstances. Their team is
passionate about evidence-based
solutions and inclusiveness, providing
counseling, health care, housing, and
educational opportunities for youth and
adults alike. So, let’s switch gears and
turn to Rob Mai from the Queen’s
Economic Development Corporation and the
Queen’s Tourism Council for a roundup of
some fantastic events that are happening
this month.
Hey Jeff, hope you’re doing well. Uh
this is the time of year where there’s a
big uh tent. This case it’s a white tent
outside City Field. That’s because
Circus Basquez or El Croco Emanos
Basquez is in town. Uh this is a
fantastic group that’s been around since
1969 and it’s based on uh really Mexican
rural Mexican rodeo and horse stuff, but
it’s modernized with comedians and
clowns. A guy who could stand on his
head forever. Uh there’s the pork chop
review which includes a bunch of pigs
who do animal tricks and of course there
are some dogs that do animal tricks as
well. Uh someone can do a triple
somersaults. Uh there’s highwire and
aerial axe etc etc etc. Uh the other
kind of cool thing about uh the show
secretus blasquez is that they’re here
for a while and they’re doing a lot of
shows uh with times 1:00 4:00 and 7
o’clock on the weekends. So, it’s it’s
easy to catch with your schedule. Uh,
again, that’s Circus Bosquez, and
they’re just outside City Field from
November 21st to December 14th. All
right, thank you.
That’s just a sample of all that’s
happening in Queens. So, thank you, Rob.
The place to go to discover and explore
everything that’s on the horizon is so
easy to remember. It’s at the its queens
website at itsinqueens.com.
And if you’re interested in more
business related news, how to help your
business or a family members or a
friends, well then head right over to
the QEDC’s website at queensny.org.
And when you’re there, take a moment and
sign up for their newsletter. Now, when
you visit any place in Queens this
month, take a photo or two and share it
with us. Make sure to use the
hashtagitin in Queens when you post on
Instagram or X because your photo could
become our photo of the week. So, as I
wrap up this week’s episode, I want to
take a moment and reflect on the sheer
impact of organizations like Samaritan
Daytop Village and the hundreds of other
nonprofits that are anchoring our
burough. Their dedication lifts up our
neighbors, teaches resilience, and keeps
Queens a place of opportunity for all.
So during this giving season,
contributions, whether time, money, or
advocacy, have a ripple effect that
strengthens entire communities and
supports the boots on the ground heroes
working for change. I’m your host, Jeff
Simmons, and that’s it for this week’s
It Queens podcast.
