Catching Up With Nachell

Nachell Simmons is the Director of Louis Nine House, one of Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter’s two supportive housing programs and home to 46 young adults (aged 18-26) who have aged out of foster care or experienced homelessness. She reflects on the past year and what she is looking forward to most post-pandemic.  

How did Louis Nine House adapt to the new reality brought on by COVID-19? 

At first, the clients weren’t taking the pandemic seriously. They’re young and felt invincible. I think that what helped them change was seeing how seriously the staff was taking it. Seeing the staff wearing PPE made it more real for them, and the clients began wearing masks, too. 

We started doing daily check-ins with clients. We would keep track of who we saw around the building and check-in by phone each day with anyone we didn’t see. If we didn’t hear back for a few days, we would knock on their door. We wanted to make sure that everyone was okay.  

We’re still checking on clients every day, and we’re now focused on educating the residents about the vaccines and helping them make appointments.  

You earned your Master’s Degree in Social Work this past September. What was it like finishing your degree during COVID? 

I am definitely an in-person learner, so it was difficult to transition to zoom classes. I was excited to be finishing my last two semesters and just wanted everything to go well.  

But as time went on, I realized how helpful it was to still be in school because a lot of the people I was in class with also worked in supportive housing and so we could lean on each other and ask each other for advice. I didn’t feel alone because we were all experiencing this new reality and how it impacted our clients together.  

You also have two kids at home who were also in school virtually. How did you manage everything? 

My son started kindergarten this year, and my daughter started high school, so it’s been a big adjustment, and it has happened on zoom. But they’re both managing. 

What has made this past year doable is how supportive and understanding everyone at NCS has been – both management and the Louis Nine House staff. Sometimes I’ll be in meetings and also making sure my son is “at school,” and everyone understands.  

What are you looking forward to most post-pandemic? 

I’m excited for the staff and clients to be able to come together for fun activities. We’ve been having some socially distanced meetings, but we haven’t had any events or birthday celebrations. I’m looking forward to sharing holiday dinners and mostly to playing Uno with the residents. We love Uno at Louis Nine House.