Joan Found Community at NCS

These days, you’ll find Joan at almost every event on the NCS Residence calendar.

She’s friendly, loves to smile, and enjoys bonding with many of the other residents at NCS’s Upper East Side supportive housing program. 

But Joan's life didn't always include art projects and festive holiday meals. In fact, she didn't always have a home.

By the time Joan was 30 years old, she had fled a bad marriage for her safety and was living in a women’s shelter. A few years later, in 1989, she moved into the NCS Residence, which she has now called home for more than 30 years!

The NCS Residence houses 65 individuals who have a history of homelessness.

Most live with mental illness, often accompanied by substance use. For some, the Residence is home for a few years while they reset their lives. But many more will always need the services NCS provides, including case management, mental health care, and a community with social activities, shared meals, and fun outings that help prevent social isolation.

It isn’t unusual for residents here to stay for decades as they grow older in stable housing with easy access to the services they depend on to maintain their highest level of independence.

Joan has thrived as a long-term resident. Soon after moving in, she met her second husband, a fellow tenant at the Residence. The two married soon after and remained happy until he passed away in 2018.

She credits the staff with helping her process his passing and focuses on maintaining a positive outlook. She talks a lot about what she does have, including opportunities to form a community, something that didn’t come easily to her as a child.

“I always enjoy all the activities that Carey [Josephs, NCS’s Recreation Specialist] and the staff here bring to the Residence,” Joan shared. She also participates in community and volunteer-led programs such as the weekly dinners hosted at Brick Presbyterian Church and Bingo and High Tea led every Saturday by NCS Board Member, Susan Shevell.

We are so happy that we can provide Joan and our other residents a home where they feel safe, have the support they need, and know that they belong.