Transforming Lives...

In 2025, we had the pleasure of serving a total of 702 individuals and helping 49 households exit homelessness. Today, we are proud to share a Good News Story from one of those families.

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In July, a family moved into our new housing development in Patchogue. This father, mother, and son began work with a New Ground social worker last April to prepare. They had been homeless for over 2 years, residing in different Suffolk County homeless shelters.

The son, then a senior in high school, had dreams of going to a good college and obtaining a degree but he doubted this could happen with his family’s housing crisis. Once learning they would have a place of their own to call home by the summer, he began working with his social worker and school counselors to apply to schools for college.

As a result, he earned scholarships to schools based on his academics and sports, and was beyond excited to see his dream coming true. New Ground assisted him with a new laptop, other critical school supplies, and items for his dorm room – all things that his parents could never have afforded. Help was also provided to transport him and his belongings to school in September.

He returned home for a few weeks after his first semester concluded, having earned a GPA of 3.37 with A’s and B’s in all classes. In January, he learned there was a gap in his scholarships and financial aid creating a debt of about $1,000. Without payment, he could not return to school. His parents scrapped together all they could but were still $500 short. New Ground stepped in to pay the tuition expense and ensure that this hard-working young man would continue his academic journey to success.

He is once again studying hard, working toward his Bachelor Degree, an essential step to a strong career and brighter future, thus breaking his family’s cycle of generational homelessness.