The Space At Tompkins

The Space at Tompkins works with transient, and often homeless, individuals in New York City’s East Village neighborhood. The Space at Tompkins’ Peer-Run Co-operative Membership Model The Space understands that people are relational beings and we truly believe that “it takes a village”. People have a need to be needed and that they make better decisions when they have a stake in the outcome. We also believe it is necessary for individuals to be welcomed into a space where they are recognized as a whole person, not just a number or statistic, so that they have the opportunity to be active participants in their autonomization. Therefore, The Space has adopted a participant-informed model to ensure that programs evolve appropriately. We meet individuals where they are at, and in turn they are given the opportunity to contribute to the productivity of The Space and its programs. The Space works to harness the abilities of the transient community primarily through social networking, both virtually and on the streets of the East Village. Through street outreach, a diverse connection to different service providers, and an overarching belief that everyone has the right to want more from their current situation, we achieve our mission.