Shaquasha Pays It Forward

Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter provides a home for people who have experienced homelessness— but we do so much more than that. 

The services we provide help our residents achieve their maximum level of independence. Of course, that looks different for everyone. Many residents come to us with a history of serious mental illness, substance use, and trauma that either led to or resulted from homelessness.  

Your support helps these residents do more than survive… you help them thrive.

You help residents like Shaquasha. 

If you met Shaquasha today, you would see a smart, motivated, cheerful young woman. She would share her excitement about training to be a peer counselor, providing hope for people living with serious mental illness. 

Providing hope for people like her. Because it wasn’t too long ago that Shaquasha was struggling.  

When Shaquasha was 16 years old, her mother— a single parent— died. Shaquasha was devastated. Soon after, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Hiding her diagnosis, she graduated from high school and started college in upstate New York. 

Her mental illness went with her.

During her sophomore year, Shaquasha dropped out of school and came back to New York City, where her bipolar disorder led to homelessness. 

Fortunately, Shaquasha found Louis Nine House. Because she needed more than just a place to live— she also needed the support that NCS provides in this young adult residence.  

She started working with a case manager to define her goals and establish a service plan. Each service plan is different because each resident is different.  

For Shaquasha, treatment for her mental illness was an early priority. And part of her treatment involved peer support. 

Later, she began working with NCS’s vocational team to think about her future.  

Shaquasha wants to become independent, and she also wants to help people. Her vocational counselor helped her research and then register for a program that trains people who have lived with mental illness to become peer counselors— like the one who helped her. 

The road Shaquasha took to get here was not always an easy one, but with the help of her counselors at NCS, she is ready to use the lessons she learned from those challenges to help others.