Introducing NCS Scholars
When you see a homeless person sitting on a park bench or sleeping on the street, you wonder what you should do. That’s the kind of person you are.
Of course, not all people experiencing homelessness spend their days in parks or on the street. Some can be found in the classroom.
Research shows that these students have lower grades, are more likely to enroll part-time, and are less likely to graduate.
Imagine trying to focus on your studies when you are also looking for a couch to sleep on, spending the night on the subway, or studying in a noisy shelter.
Will you make a gift to support Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter’s work to address this problem?
Today, Odalys and Isabella live in a shared suite at NCS Scholars, but they didn’t always have stable homes.
Odalys’ childhood was filled with emotional and physical abuse, leading to years of struggling with depression and anxiety. For her safety, Odalys left home—and with no place to go, she started couch-surfing. She bounced between her siblings, friends, and her boyfriend, trying not to wear out her welcome.
But Odalys knows that education is the key to a better future, so she enrolled at CUNY’s Medgar Evers College to study psychology.
Isabella lived with her mother, father, grandmother and sister in a 300 square-foot studio where she had to sleep in shifts – without a door to close. But even though space was tight and she often had to nap during the day, she was determined to make her family—especially her mom—proud. Isabella earned a full scholarship to Medgar Evers College to study nursing.
A lifetime of anxiety and the constant struggle to find a place to study and to get a full night’s rest made college much harder for Odalys and Isabella than it is for most students.
NCS can help. And our help will be life-changing.
NCS Scholars provides year-round, stable housing and on-site supports that give unhoused students the best chance to complete their degrees and begin successful futures.
By housing students like Odalys now, we can prevent them (and future generations of their families) from needing our help in the future.
Your gift today to NCS will help students like Odalys and Isabella.
Together, we can help these students earn a degree, improve their future earning potential, and end a cycle of poverty. Please contribute today!
Forty years ago, NCS was among the first organizations to tackle the problem of widespread homelessness. NCS was among the first to offer supportive housing, young adult housing, and ground-breaking harm-reduction substance-use treatment. NCS Scholars continues our long tradition of pioneering innovative solutions to complicated issues and providing housing and support that can transform lives. Thank you for your support.