He was recognized at the Stanley Schear Award Breakfast at the Osborn Retirement Community.
Announcement of Bertrand's award was made by the Senior Housing and Services Coalition of the county's Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS). Tony Hoeltzel is chair of the coalition, which initiated the award in 2007 to honor Schear, a leading advocate for affordable housing who passed away in 2006 and had been the coalition's long-time chairman and guiding spirit.
Hoeltzel said that Bertrand has been a tireless advocate for "the dispossessed – the homeless, the hungry, and our seniors – for over 30 years. He has put his neck on the line to create or retain services for those most in need. Westchester County is blessed to have his talent, passion, skill and humanity."
Bertrand's pioneering work with the homeless began in 1983 when as a social work student at Hunter College, he was a founder and first executive director of The Sharing Community – Yonkers first homeless shelter.
In 1989 he founded Program Design and Development (PDD), his own consulting firm, and is its president and chief executive. PDD specializes in helping public and private organizations develop effective and innovative programs through its special expertise in building and managing multi-agency collaborations.
Bertrand has also developed new programs in areas ranging from law enforcement and HIV/AIDS to housing, health care and youth services. Under his leadership, PD&D has won $165 million in grant funding.
He currently coordinates the Continuum of Care-funded Shelter Plus Care programs for the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health. The program includes more than 420 subsidized housing units. He has also been a consultant to the Yonkers Police Department, the Yonkers Housing Authority, the City of Mount Vernon and more than two dozen other local agencies with annual budgets that range from $60,000 to more than $160 million.
Schear was a founding board member of the Housing Action Council, Inc. and a community activist who fought for the needs of the homeless and banning racial discrimination in housing. He also founded and directed the Bridge Fund of Westchester, which enables those at risk of becoming homeless to stay in their homes."
Bertrand said it was a high honor to receive the Stanley Schear award because he worked with Schear in developing the Bridge Fund.
"This award is particularly meaningful because I knew Stanley Schear for many years," Bertrand said. "I was always impressed with his energy and passion, and I held him in enormously high esteem. So receiving this award in Stanley's honor makes it very special to me."
Bertrand was nominated for the Stanley Schear award by Bob Miller, president of Westhab Inc., and Seth Berman, executive director of the Family Service Society of Yonkers.
"Karl has provided exemplary leadership to those of us in the non-profit community by his willingness to stand up for the rights of the homeless, often confronting the county and its municipalities over the need for a county-wide system of drop-in shelters, even at personal risk to himself and his business,"
Miller said. "Karl is a hero who deserves to be recognized in the name of a former hero, Stanley Schear himself. "
Berman, who has worked with Bertrand for more than 10 years on housing for the county's disabled homeless, said Bertrand's leadership skills are demonstrated in his ability to bring together many different organizations and transform them into a formidable force to serve the disadvantaged.
"His compassion, optimism and hard work are extraordinary," Berman said.
DSPS Commissioner Mae Carpenter praised the coalition for selecting Bertrand, saying that his many achievements and dedication to the homeless in Westchester continue Schear's high standards and spirit.
"Senior Programs and Services is proud to present the Stanley Schear Award every year because it is always to a person or organization that gives a voice to voiceless populations," Carpenter said.
In addition to Westchester County, breakfast sponsors are the Osborn Retirement Community, Atlantic Philanthropies, the Community Housing Resource Center, Classic Residence by Hyatt in Yonkers, United Hebrew and the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services.