As most New Yorkers know, having a good superintendent in your apartment building makes a BIG difference. We count on our supers to keep our buildings in good shape, make repairs... and, if we’re lucky, they go out of their way to help when we need it.
Based on these criteria, the tenants living at the NCS Residence on the Upper East Side have been among New York City’s most fortunate for the past ten years with Kenny Elliot working as NCS’s Maintenance Supervisor. Taking care of the building that is home to 65 New Yorkers with a history of homelessness, most living with mental illness, isn’t always easy. During a pandemic, it’s even more challenging.
Fortunately, Kenny takes it all in stride.
Kenny’s official responsibilities include building repairs and updates, handling everything from plumbing needs, lock changes, painting, fixing floor tiles, and ensuring the boiler is working. He also supervises NCS’s two porters, George and Clement, who clean the building.
When the pandemic started, Kenny’s top priority shifted to making sure that all of the clients and staff in the building would be as safe as possible. Instead of just cleaning the building, his team needed to fully disinfect the entire building, including the staff office area, every day. Recognizing that this significantly increased the workload, Kenny stepped in to help.
The facilities team began arriving early each morning to disinfect the office area to keep the staff safe. Kenny then began working on building repairs while George and Clement started on the all-day disinfectant routine going through each floor of the Residence. As soon as Kenny finished his repair work, he joined the porters to finish sanitizing the building.
Kenny’s support was not limited to the confines of the NCS Residence. Throughout the pandemic, NCS CEO Ann Shalof worked non-stop to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) for the staff and clients. The masks, face shields, and gloves needed to be picked up – often in Brooklyn. Kenny, who lives in the Bronx, started some of his days this past year by driving to Brooklyn and picking up PPE before returning to Upper East Side residence. On his way home, he made another stop at Louis Nine House, NCS’s young adult supportive housing in the Bronx, to drop off the PPE for the staff and clients there.
“I was always worried about safety first,” Kenny shared. “I just wanted to do whatever I could to protect the clients and staff.”
Kenny is appreciated by his colleagues not only for his excellent work, but also for the many ways he goes beyond what is expected. Bringing bananas to the office to make sure everyone has a healthy snack during a rough week. Inviting a co-worker to take a walk when he notices their stress level rising. Consulting with social workers to better understand the tenants’ needs and issues so that he knows how best to approach them when he needs to work in their apartment. “Our tenants are not always aware of the impact he has on their living environment,” said Margarita Ramos, Program Director at the NCS Residence. “Kenny truly is part of the heartbeat of the NCS Residence.”
