Neighborhood News January 2021 |
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When Donna moved into the NCS Residence in March 2019, it was clear to Monique Phillips, her case manager, that she had a lot of drive. Monique reached out to Elizabeth McGuire, the Vocational Coordinator at Options, NCS's vocational, education and employment program, and suggested she and Donna meet. They began working toward finding Donna a job.
Donna started working at the Old Navy in Times Square November 2019. And while at NCS we are excited whenever a client secures a job, the staff knows that for many Options clients, keeping a job is often a greater barrier than landing the job.
This is why everyone at the NCS Residence and Options is thrilled that a year later Donna is not only still working at Old Navy, but has also been promoted—twice! She also recently transferred to the Upper East Side location, much closer to her home.
Donna doesn’t see NCS as her permanent home but as a stepping stone on her journey. She looks forward to being able to move closer to her daughters on Long Island—but in the meantime, she is thankful for the support NCS is giving her in so many aspects of her life.
“NCS gave me a chance and enabled me to live independently for the first time in a long time. I used to live in a shelter, and I know that my life wouldn’t be improving the way it is if I hadn’t moved into the NCS Residence almost two years ago. I wouldn’t be where I am now. They helped me to become employable and helped me to gain the confidence I need to move forward in my life. I am very blessed that life brought me here.”
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Rhonda-Lee plans to promote entrepreneurship among young adults living in supportive housing by helping them realize their potential, connect them with resources in their communities, and support their financial literacy. The Award provides $5,000 to support the project.
As the Young Adult Housing Transition Specialist at Lantern Community Services (LCS), Rhonda-Lee works with young adults living in supportive housing to overcome barriers that stand in the way of their transition to independent housing.
She plans to begin this year with events at each of LCS’s four young adult supportive residences and hopes that the program can be replicated by other New York City supportive housing providers.
“It’s an honor to receive the NextGen Innovation Award,” Rhonda-Lee shared. “For me, this is more than financial support for a project. It signals much-needed support from organizations like NCS for the work needed to help young adults successfully transition to independent housing. I hope this project will bring us steps closer to sustained solutions. Like many others working in the supportive housing field, I know our tenants are talented, and the communities we serve hold opportunities and resources; more work needs to be done to unlock and link them.”
“NCS works to transform the lives of people struggling with homelessness,” said NCS Chief Executive Officer Ann L. Shalof. “The NextGen Innovation Award encourages the development of actionable ideas that address homelessness in New York City. It is the signature project of NCS’s NextGen Network, as it is intended to foster the next generation of leadership in this arena. We are all delighted to present the second annual NextGen Innovation Award to Rhonda-Lee.”
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Like so many other New Yorkers, Elaine Gorsline lost her job in mid-March due to the pandemic. But Elaine’s story has a great ending—for both her and NCS’s clients!
Elaine has more than 15 years of experience in workforce development, specifically working with vulnerable populations. Options, NCS's vocational and education program, was looking for a new vocational specialist this past Winter. It was a perfect fit, and Elaine joined the NCS team on March 26th, just as the world was turning upside down.
“This job is about building confidence in the clients,” Elaine explained. “People in my position often overlook soft skills, but the clients need to believe in themselves, that they can succeed. We need to build and foster that desire in them. NCS believes in that approach. They give me the time to work with clients on those soft skills and understand that results will come.”
Elaine has already seen success with her clients. She worked with a Louis Nine House resident to consider his strengths and create realistic short-term goals. In October, he recently started working at the Krispy Kreme warehouse in the Bronx, and he recently celebrated two months in the position.
She has also been working with a former Louis Nine House resident who moved into her own apartment in Brooklyn this summer. While the weather was nice, they met on the Coney Island boardwalk, and they would discuss next steps, best interview practices, and job opportunities. Now that the weather has gotten colder, they are meeting over the phone, but the client knows that Elaine will continue to be there to support her.
“Elaine has a go-getter attitude and an innate sense of people,” shared Options Vocational Coordinator Elizabeth McGuire. “She has a great sense of humor, is nurturing, and is at ease working with all of the Options participants. She makes sure the clients know that NCS is there to support them on their journey—even after they no longer live at NCS.”
Elaine helps Options clients believe in themselves and take the appropriate next steps, but she also credits NCS with helping her. "I started working at NCS in March, and if I hadn't had an opportunity to work through this pandemic, it would have really impacted me; it would have been difficult. I am so thankful that I was able to be working with people this year."
Thank you, Elaine, for the work you do!
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Ian Herrin had always excelled in math in school, but his true passions are teaching and improv comedy. Over the past several years, he has taught and performed in venues all over the city, but the pandemic put live shows and in-person classes on hold. He knew that he needed to fill his time and wanted to find a way to teach virtually—even if it was a subject as unrelated to comedy as math!
The timing couldn't have been better for Louis Nine House resident DaKing. In the early days of the pandemic, DaKing was thinking about the next step in his education—passing his High School Equivalency exam (HSE, formerly known as the GED). But he needed help with the math section.
Ian found NCS through Google and shared that "the staff couldn't have been warmer and more receptive to pair me with DaKing to help with his HSE exam" after Ian reached out.
"I am so inspired by how much DaKing has expressed his appreciation for me and to see how much he cares about wanting to take the next steps in his life," said Ian. "I believe the road ahead for so many of us is still one that will be long and challenging, but I also trust it's through community, listening to each other, and helping lift one another up whenever we can that we're all going to get through this (and not only this but also the many difficulties the world may still throw our way ahead!) together."
"As the comedian Nicole Byer likes to mention on her podcasts, 'the 1918 pandemic was immediately succeeded by the artistic explosion of the roaring 20's,' so here's hoping in our new rebooted version of the roaring 2020's we'll soon all be able to congregate in laughter and celebration again."
Amen to that, and thank you to Ian for helping DaKing with math and laughter.
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We hope everyone had a safe, healthy, and cheerful holiday season. NCS celebrations didn’t look the same this year, but they were still merry! Our dedicated staff packaged and passed out individually packed holiday meals so everyone could celebrate social distantly.
Thank you to Temple Emanu-El for donating gift cards so that each of our clients received a holiday gift and to Neda Navab and Bake NYC for donating pies for the celebrations. Your support made this holiday season extra sweet!
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Louise Nine, NCS's Elf on the Shelf, made sure that Louis Nine House clients and staff had a joyful holiday season. Check out what she's been up to the past few weeks. |
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Administrative Office
50 Broadway
Suite 1301
New York, NY 10004
Phone: (212) 537-5100
Fax: (212) 860-2301
ncs@ncsinc.org
www.ncsinc.org
Board of Directors
David A. Oliver
President
Wolcott B. Dunham, Jr.
Stephanie W. Guest
Thomas J. Kilkenny
Stuart N. Siegel
Vice Presidents
Susan Stevens
Treasurer
Jan F. Golann
Secretary
Victoria Bert
Barbara Chocky
Anne S. Davidson
Abigail Black Elbaum
Patricia Falk
Alice Greif
Matthew D. Hughes
Oren K. Isacoff
Ann Ross Loeb
Rachael Piltch-Loeb
Marta Radzyminski
Stephanie Shuman
Christopher W. Solomon
Ann L. Shalof
Chief Executive Officer
NCS Programs
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.
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