Mission

Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter provides New Yorkers who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with a home, a community, and access to the services that they need to thrive. We create innovative solutions and engage community partners to provide housing and support that can transform lives.

Current Programs and Accomplishments

Year Ended June 30, 2023

Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter (NCS) helps New Yorkers who are struggling with homelessness, often compounded by mental illness or substance use, to achieve their highest level of independence.

NCS currently serves more than 900 clients yearly, many of whom have needs that cannot be met in other settings due to mental illness, addiction, trauma, and other disorders that hamper personal development and independent living. Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter combines cutting-edge, evidence-based programs and community engagement to provide unhoused New Yorkers with a home, meaningful connections, and access to the services they need to thrive.

Our holistic approach to the complex problems of each of our clients has effectively assisted individuals who have been unsuccessful in other settings or were left untreated and at the margins of society.

NCS was founded in 1982 by faith, civic, and community leaders on the Upper East Side of Manhattan who came together to find a solution to homelessness inspired by the belief that homelessness is the responsibility of the entire community. More than forty years later, NCS still provides housing and supportive services on the Upper East Side. These programs, as well as newer offerings in the Bronx and Queens, operate under the same key principles at all locations: high-quality, compassionate, client-centric, individualized support. We aim to address the root causes of homelessness and eliminate barriers to service, treatment, and personal growth that often perpetuate homelessness.

We use widely accepted best practices, including Supportive Housing and the Housing First approach, as well as harm reduction and evidence-based, person-centered, and trauma-informed care. By providing stable housing with individualized on-site services, we help each client define and pursue personal goals and achieve improved wellness, stability, and independence.

Beyond housing, we provide programs like outpatient substance-use treatment and accessible case management and referral programs that accommodate the unique and complex circumstances of unhoused and service-resistant people.

Housing

The NCS Residence, our single room occupancy (SRO) residence on Manhattan’s East 81st Street, houses 65 individuals who have a history of homelessness. Most live with mental illness, often accompanied by substance use.

Our residents’ health and wellness have been seriously affected by extreme poverty, homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse, poor nutrition, smoking, and trauma. Many of our older tenants experience difficulties with activities of daily living (ADL) such as bathing, feeding, and dressing. All of these issues, especially for our older residents, require ongoing monitoring and attention by an on-site professional staff that includes social workers, case managers, a recreational counselor, and part-time psychiatrist, as well as caregivers arranged by NCS.

Residents also enjoy common areas for activities and meals, including a training kitchen and dining area, a TV lounge, and rooftop atrium, terrace and garden.

Louis Nine House (LNH) in the Bronx is a residence for young adults who have aged out of foster care or experienced homeless and mental illness.

Many of our tenants have experienced multiple foster care placements, emotional trauma, neglect and/or abuse. Mental illness and addictive tendencies are often untreated and exacerbated by their childhood experiences. Without a system of support, these young people are ill-prepared to transition to adulthood. Fortunately, there is Louis Nine House, where tenants are supported to advance their personal development, resume their education, identify career interests, acquire vocational skills, secure jobs, and prepare for more independent housing.

NCS Scholars, launched in October 2022, is a pilot housing program. This dorm-style housing model with on-site supports for college students who were experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity emerged after two years of planning.

Since opening, we have built the program and now have capacity to serve 29 students referred from CUNY schools and New York City’s Department of Youth and Community Development shelters.

An on-site program director, case manager, and resident aide work with residents to address any challenges related to homelessness or impediments to college success.

While a formal evaluation is underway, we see the impact through high rates of re-enrollment from semester to semester, community-building among students (studying and commuting together), focus on setting and achieving goals, and improved academic performance and stability.

Programs

Chance for Change, located at The Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, is uniquely designed to help individuals who are homeless and battling addiction, often combined with mental illness make healthy changes in their lives. Our small clinic environment and “harm reduction” model are uniquely targeted to chronically homeless people.

Our clinic staff are trained substance abuse counselors and mental health professionals who use evidence-based practices to help clients realize their full potential and work toward recovery. In addition to individual and group therapy, Chance for Change clients have access to most other NCS programs, including housing services. Number of FY23 clients: 48.

Options is our vocational and educational program that helps those with little or no employment history and significant barriers to employment find and keep entry-level jobs. We assess each participant’s skills and interests and help them to identify and pursue a career track that can provide a living wage and growth over time.

Resources available to participants include:

• GED support

• soft skills training

• job search

• referrals to job training

• interview preparation

• résumé building assistance.

As keeping the job is often a greater barrier than landing the job for our participants, the holistic approach we employ addresses difficulties with social skills and workplace expectations, anger management, learning disabilities, managing routine stress and anxiety, and fear of failure that often undermine our clients’ workplace experiences.

NCS builds relationships with local employers to help our clients find jobs, and then we work with both the client and the employer to help our youth overcome obstacles and ensure long-term success.

Number of FY23 clients: 62.

Information and Referrals

NCS Connect, reaches individuals in need of but disconnected from services. NCS Connect human services professionals are present at three free meal programs on the East Side of Manhattan and provide guests with information and referrals for shelter and housing, public assistance, counseling, mental health and substance use treatment, and a variety of other issues.

In addition to placing a counselor at meal programs, NCS also distributes Street Sheets, pocket-sized guides to resources, including meal programs, shelters, referral services, and drop-in centers. Street Sheets are available in English and Spanish for the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Midtown Manhattan and Downtown Manhattan, increasing the number of people NCS can connect to critical services.

The newest addition to this program is Chance to Connect, which opened recently as a resource center where people in need can access expanded resources and support. Chance to Connect addresses the need for broader, more accessible case management services, along with a safe space during daytime hours for those living on streets or in shelters.

Financial Overview

From Our Audited Consolidated Financial Statement,
Year Ended June 30, 2023

Board of Directors

Officers

David A. Oliver, President

Wolcott B. Dunham, Jr., Vice President

Stephanie Guest, Vice President

Thomas J. Kilkenny, Vice President

Stuart N. Siegel, Vice President

Susan Stevens, Treasurer

Jan F. Golann, Secretary

DIRECTORS

Victoria Bert

Vanessa C. Crews

Anne S. Davidson

Abigail Black Elbaum

Matthew D. Hughes

Oren K. Isacoff

Kathryn Keen

Ann Ross Loeb