Hank Lobb refers to himself as “a pretty mundane guy,” but one will hear most refer to him as “the Master.” An NYS Master Level Housing Navigator (where this reference to “Master” comes from) and assistant director of Community Services, Hank celebrates 20 years with Springbrook this month, a feat far from mundane.
Like many employees, Hank applied for a position—in (what is today) care management—on the encouragement of a friend who spoke highly of Springbrook. He then moved into a coordinator position with Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), followed by an SDS program coordinator position. In 2015, Hank was given the opportunity to take a new course offered by the NY Alliance to become a Housing Navigator, a niche that he has fulfilled since that time. Hank works with families and individuals to navigate housing and housing alternatives, certified and non-certified, to best suit a person’s needs. Hank and his team create new opportunities for families and individuals and problem-solve current housing situations to generate new housing models. This includes self-directed housing, a home that supports a person with self-directed services, and individual apartments. The most recent success for Hank and his dedicated team was opening Century Sunrise, an integrated supported housing project in Johnston City. He says of Century Sunrise: “It’s a cool project that has been very successful—we helped a group of people to live more independent lives.” The next project seeks to fill the housing gap in Cortland.
Hank is proud of his team, calling them “a great group,” and of the leadership at Springbrook, who have given him the room to be creative in his work. We are proud to have you, Hank. Congratulations on your 20-year milestone!