Janine Robitaille
IPH
As Executive Director of Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless (IPH) since 2005, Janine has been a highly effective leader in the development and significant growth of the agency to support homeless and at-risk community members in Albany, NY and surrounding areas.
A veteran and widely recognized trailblazer in the field of addressing homelessness in communities, she manages her team of over one hundred employees representing five emergency and transitional shelters, community and medical respite programs and permanent housing which has increased from 10 to 34 units since 2009 in Albany and Montgomery Counties of NY. She aggressively seeks out partnerships and growth opportunities that support her vision and mission for the organization.
In collaboration with her board, Janine has secured robust, sustained funding sources increasing her overall funding income from $790,000 to $6.5M during her tenure and built a continuum of programs that have served as successful models for others. Her careful crafting of the agency’s strategic plan reveals her vision for continued growth and has challenged her team to deliver even higher quality outcomes for its clients through program expansion and diversification of the mission.
In a non-profit environment where funds are limited and risk is high, Janine continues to overcome obstacles in pursuit of the betterment of the community. Her bold decision-making and passion are contagious, pushing her staff to share her energy and contribute to the agency’s expansion. She has re-envisioned how the agency can effectively serve the homeless population, from incorporating health and wellness initiatives to securing funding in order to add increased housing opportunities for clients to expanding relationships with area employers on behalf of her clients to establishing robust relationships with area healthcare providers to share resources. Her passion for the work doesn’t end with those who rely on IPH’s services; her emphasis on staff development has catalyzed an integrated team environment that has proven capable of achieving higher and more impactful goals. This is done while her staff supports each other in the many facets of the agency’s operations. Her fearless demeanor, determination, and innovation are helping thousands of Albany-area individuals each year.
Janine has demonstrated proficiency in the business aspect of her role, increasing the operating resources of IPH’s numerous programs dramatically and allowing her to expand the number and size of its buildings. Under her creative and mission-driven leadership, she successfully obtained funding to open Albany County’s one-of-a-kind Sheridan Hollow Drop-In Center in 2006, which served nearly 1500 individuals in its first year alone and thousands more since. Her leadership has also created more than 30 units of affordable and permanent housing to date for both individuals and families.
Janine reiterates that her strategic initiatives are not short-sighted; rather, they are long-term, sustainable, and critical to building stronger communities.
Her commitment to the community and innovative steps towards achieving her vision inspire her board, staff, donors, and community-at-large to uphold the reputation she has created for IPH as a leading provider of services for homeless and low-income families and individuals in the Capital Region and surrounding counties.