Joan P. Arnold, the co-founder and executive director of A-HOME, will receive the fifth annual Stanley Schear Leadership Award on May 13 for building and managing affordable housing in northern Westchester County for older adults, disabled individuals and single-parent families for more than 25 years.

Arnold will receive the award at the Stanley Schear Legislative Breakfast at the Osborn Retirement Community, 101 Theall Road, Rye, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

In today’s economic climate it is more important than ever to recognize Arnold’s achievements, said Jane Lindau, director of senior housing at Westchester Residential Opportunities, Inc., which administers the award, and chair of the Westchester Senior Housing and Services Coalition, which selects the honoree.

“Joan has made such a significant contribution toward improving people’s lives by providing fair and affordable housing, said Lindau. “This honor is so well deserved.”

Caryl Rudner Weinstein, LCSW, of Rye, who retired last year as a program coordinator from the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs & Services (DSPS), will receive the coalition’s first Lifetime Advocacy Award to recognize her many years of dedication and contributions to build affordable housing in the county.

The event is free but the deadline for reservations is May 2, and can be made by contacting Lindau at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (914) 428-4507, Ext. 313. 

DSPS Commissioner Mae Carpenter will present the awards to Arnold and Weinstein.

The Stanley Schear Leadership Award was initiated 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.

Schear was also 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 founded and directed the Bridge Fund of Westchester, which enables those at risk of becoming homeless to stay in their homes.

Tony Hoeltzel, a housing coalition member, said he nominated Arnold because “she achieved a major accomplishment in developing affordable housing in the most difficult to develop portion of the county – the exurban north,” which faces obstacles such as high land costs, water and sewage issues and a lack of infrastructure for transportation.”

A-HOME, which Arnold co-founded with Peg Normann, developed 13 properties with 17 houses, and was one of the first to bring affordable housing to communities such as Chappaqua, South Salem and Pound Ridge, Hoeltzel said. Most of the buildings provide shared housing where each person or family has its own room and share a living room, dining room and kitchen. Other units are multifamily dwellings, each with three or four apartments. In addition, Arnold created a 26-member coalition of faith communities from across the county’s northern region to help A-HOME and to offer ongoing volunteer support to its residents.

Weinstein started to work for the county in 1994 and formed the Housing Committee in 1996. The committee subsequently became the Senior Housing and Services Coalition, and Weinstein was the DSPS staff liaison to the group. The coalition later created the Stanley Schear Award.

“I nominated Caryl because she has been the heart and soul of senior and housing advocacy in Westchester County for as long as I can remember,” said attorney and housing coalition member Michael Kutzin. “During Caryl’s career she was a tireless advocate for those who needed adequate, functional and affordable housing and worked with people from all walks of life and political persuasions to make it happen.”

In addition to WRO, breakfast sponsors are Westchester County, Atlantic Philanthropies, The Osborn, The Wartburg Adult Care Community, United Hebrew and Classic Residence.