NYU Furman Center Summer Speaker Series - Nicole Branca
Please join the NYU Furman Center for a presentation:
Family homelessness starts with domestic violence. Housing can end it.
with
Nicole Branca
Chief Executive Officer
New Destiny Housing
Presentation Description: Most survivors of domestic violence face an impossible choice: become homeless or stay in a dangerous situation. While shelter is meant to be a temporary stop, survivors are more likely to move from shelter to shelter than into a home of their own.
New Destiny Housing was founded on a simple premise: shelter alone does not solve homelessness. Survivors need permanent, affordable housing and supportive services to heal and rebuild their lives. New Destiny is the only organization exclusively focused on permanent housing solutions for survivors of domestic violence in New York. It is the largest provider of supportive housing in the State and operates the first and largest federally funded rapid rehousing program for survivors in the City.
In this session, CEO Nicole Branca — joined by Sharike B., a survivor leader and New Destiny tenant — will discuss how domestic violence is a leading driver of family homelessness; what the system and journey look like for survivors who become homeless; and what housing resources are and are not available to survivors. They will draw on New Destiny’s supportive housing and housing navigation programs to illustrate what works and examine the policy levers that determine whether survivors find a safe way home.
Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET
Location: NYU School of Law – Furman Hall
245 Sullivan Street, Room 210
New York, NY 10003
A light lunch will be provided for in-person attendees.
Virtual attendees are welcome to register via Zoom.
About the Presenter:
Nicole Branca has over 20 years of experience working in housing and homelessness. She joined New Destiny in August 2020 as Executive Director and was elevated by the Board of Directors to the role of CEO in January 2025. Under Nicole’s leadership, New Destiny has tripled its budget, staff size, and housing portfolio by developing new supportive housing buildings, expanding its program that helps domestic violence survivors access subsidies and find apartments across the city, building out innovative new programs focused on housing retention and mental health, and creating an advocacy department.
Before New Destiny, Nicole was Associate Commissioner at the NYC Department of Veterans’ Services, where she helped lead the city’s successful effort to end chronic veteran homelessness, created the agency’s housing department, and launched all its initial programs, including a peer-to-peer model, aftercare, and a new rental subsidy program. Nicole spent 10 years leading city, state and federal policy and advocacy efforts at the Supportive Housing Network of New York, while co-chairing the NYC Continuum of Care. She is a proud AmeriCorps alumna with degrees from Babson College and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.