Joan Found a Home at NCS

These days, you’ll find Joan at almost every event on the NCS Residence calendar.

She’s friendly, loves to smile, and enjoys bonding with many of the other residents at NCS’s Upper East Side supportive housing program. 

But Joan's life didn't always include art projects and festive holiday meals. In fact, she didn't always have a home.

Her family moved from Hong Kong to Chinatown when Joan was just two years old. She was bullied throughout much of her childhood through high school, leaving her with emotional scars and a lot of difficult memories.

Soon after high school she met the man who would become her first husband and moved in with him and his parents in Midtown Manhattan. But life didn’t get easier for Joan, and a few years later she needed to flee their home for her safety.

By the time Joan was 30 years old, she was living in a women’s shelter. A few years later, in 1989, she moved into the NCS Residence, which she has now called home for more than 30 years!

The NCS Residence is home to 65 individuals who have a history of homelessness. Most live with mental illness, often accompanied by substance use. For some, the Residence is home for a few years while they reset their lives. But many more will always need the services NCS provides, including case management, mental health care, and a community with social activities, shared meals, and fun outings. It isn’t unusual for residents here to stay for decades as they grow older in stable housing with easy access to the services they depend on to maintain the highest level of independence they can.

She credits the staff with helping her process his passing and focuses on maintaining a positive outlook. She talks a lot about what she does have, including opportunities to form a community, something that didn’t come easily to her as a child.

“I always enjoy all the activities that Carey [Josephs, NCS’s Recreation Specialist] and the staff here bring to the Residence,” Joan shared. She also participates in community and volunteer-led programs such as the weekly dinners hosted at Brick Presbyterian Church, jewelry making with Mary Jo Pane, and Bingo and High Tea led every Saturday by NCS Board Member, Susan Shevell.

We are so happy that we can provide Joan and our other residents a home where they feel safe, have the support they need, and know that they belong.

This is only possible thanks to donors like you!