Programs & Services
NCS provides housing and supportive services to homeless and formerly homeless single adults and to youth, ages 18-25, who are aging out of foster care or are homeless. Our core expertise is in serving the most difficult to engage and house New Yorkers—men and women who have been homeless for long periods of time and who face complex challenges, such as mental illness and chemical addiction, that make it difficult for them to seek out or receive support. In addition to providing housing, NCS has a dedicated and caring staff that assists individuals in their journey to independent living through counseling and treatment, educational and vocational training, job placement and financial education. NCS's 26 years of experience and its progressive research agenda help to better understand the root causes of homelessness, improve service delivery and advance our mission to prevent and ultimately end homelessness.
Housing
NCS Residence
a long-term, supportive housing facility, which is home to 65 formerly
homeless New Yorkers
Louis Nine House
(opening in Fall 2008) supportive housing for 46 young adults who are
homeless or aging out of foster care
New Vistas and Transitions
transitional housing programs for up to 20 chronically homeless men and
women who have both mental illness and chemical dependency
Programs
NCS Outpatient Services
a state-licensed chemical dependency treatment program designed to serve
homeless men and women
OPTIONS
a vocational, educational and job-training program that helps over 100
people each year
Emporium Online
a 16-week job-training program focused on building skills in technology,
administrative services and customer service. In addition to computer
and employment workshops, participants receive on-the-job training through
operating an Amazon zShop selling donated, new and gently used CDs, DVDs,
books and videotapes.
NCS Research Program
seeks to identify the characteristics of chronically homeless adults to
continually improve engagement strategies for serving this population
East Side Homeless Network (ESHN)
a collaboration of the three leading providers of services to homeless
individuals on the Upper East Side—NCS, Lenox Hill Neighborhood
House and Yorkville Common Pantry
NCS Residence
The NCS Residence, a long-term, supportive housing facility on East 81st Street in Manhattan, houses 65 formerly homeless men and women, the majority of whom are mentally ill and have been chronically homeless.
A 24-hour onsite staff provides a full range of services and programs to enhance and support residents’ independent living. Services include case management, psychiatric counseling, money management, vocational and educational training, meals and recreational activities.
NCS recently completed a substantial renovation of the Residence. In addition to the refurbishment of the entire building, the renovation added a seventh-floor activity room and adjoining rooftop garden, as well as a lower-level tenant lounge, training kitchen and dining area.
Louis Nine House (opening in Summer 2008)
NCS’s new site in the Bronx, currently under construction, will provide supportive housing for 46 young adults who are homeless or aging out of foster care. This unique project will provide an underserved group with affordable housing, counseling and job training, supporting their strengths as they transition to adulthood. A recent census of runaway and homeless youth in New York found that on any given day, over 3,800 youth are homeless in New York. The Child Welfare League of America, reports that anywhere from 12% to 36% of young people transitioning out of the system experience homelessness and as many as 3 in 10 of the nation's homeless adults have a history in foster care. By intervening with this population as they age out of foster care, our hope is to prevent homelessness before it happens.
New Vistas and Transitions
Six shared transitional apartments housing up to 20 chronically homeless men and women at a time. These individuals have histories of substance abuse and mental illness, which are challenges to maintaining employment and independent living. The programs provide a combination of a structured living environment, case management, psychiatric services, vocational education and job training, which enable participants to achieve stability and practice the skills needed to live independently. During their nine to twelve months in the program, each individual engages in cognitive behavioral therapy designed for individuals dually diagnosed with mental illness and chemical dependency. New Vistas and Transitions are highly structured programs for men and women, to support them in their journey to stable, independent living.
NCS Outpatient Services
Located in space donated by Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, NCS’s state-licensed Outpatient Services provide alcohol and drug education, individual and group sessions, psychiatric services and acupuncture to chronically homeless men and women who struggle with chemical dependency. The program serves 15-20 participants daily, referred through NCHP, other NCS programs or through neighborhood partners. For information and referrals contact Anthony Coleman: (212) 794-0129, tcoleman@ncsinc.org or Tom O'Neall, (212) 249-6429, toneall@ncsinc.org.
OPTIONS
NCS’s vocational, educational and job-training program is available to all NCS clients as well as members of the East Side Homeless Network. OPTIONS is designed to meet the needs of individuals with histories of substance abuse, mental illness or both. The program focuses on developing participants’ economic and educational opportunities leading to employability and increased self-sufficiency. A variety of pre-employment and educational support is available, such as literacy tutoring, GED preparation, computer classes, resume-writing workshops, individual and group vocational counseling, work experience through paid internships, and job placement.
OPTIONS’ ability to help clients is enhanced by a part-time Education Coordinator who provides in-depth educational assessments of NCS program participants. Her work has helped identify learning disabilities and the coping mechanisms clients use to mask them. The Coordinator works with clients’ counselors to develop and implement individualized education plans that help them overcome barriers to employment.
In fiscal year 2007, OPTIONS provided training to 133 homeless and formerly homeless individuals, 55 of whom secured permanent employment, while 62 remained in the OPTIONS program or went on to further educational and vocational training. NCS takes great pride in its job placement and retention rates—a tremendous success when working with chronically homeless individuals, who face extensive barriers to employment.
Emporium Online
Emporium Online is a 16-week on-the-job training program, through which homeless and formerly homeless men and women operate an online virtual store selling new and gently used donated items such as CDs, DVDs, video games, software and books.
Participants spend half of each day in computer instruction and employment workshops and the balance running the online store. Participants receive stipends, as well as valuable experience gaining skills in technology, administration and customer service. Emporium Online has a 94% completion rate with 81% vocational placement.
There are currently over 1,500 CDs, books, DVDs and videos on sale at the Amazon zShop that is called Support4Homeless. Browsing is encouraged.
Emporium Online is always in need of additional CDs, DVDs, books, videos, computer games and electronic equipment. If you would like to donate new or gently used goods to support this project, please contact Mark Adiedo, madiedo@ncsinc.org or (212) 537-5420.
Research
Along with direct service programming, NCS has a well integrated research agenda to study the characteristics of chronically homeless adults through clinical trials and assessment studies. Each strategy and program developed at NCS draws from research to ensure that programs are tailored to the distinct needs of our service population. We continue to better understand the needs of chronically homeless adults and remain committed to applying newfound knowledge to strengthening models of service. In addition, NCS shares its research findings with colleagues in New York City and nationally to advance knowledge in the field. In 2005, NCS published its first research study in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry. Read the article or download the PDF.
For additional information on NCS research, please contact: Patricia Cobb-Richardson at: Prichard@ncsinc.org
East Side Homeless Network (ESHN)
The ESHN is a partnership of three homeless service agencies on the Upper East Side: Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, and Yorkville Common Pantry. As a collective, the ESHN provides food, shelter, clothing, case management, referrals, street outreach, permanent and transitional housing, vocational services, a food pantry, and meal programs to homeless adults. The primary goal of the Network is to weave services together and break down institutional barriers so that homeless people can be better served by the three agencies. For more information, please contact Christina Kalinka at (212) 570-1461 ext. 120, or cjkalinka@lenoxhill.org