Three Reasons to Celebrate!

A year and a half ago New York City shut down and more than 600,000 New Yorkers lost their jobs. This month we celebrate Labor Day, and we want to celebrate three tenants at our Upper East Side NCS Residence who, despite the obstacles we all faced, continued working through the pandemic. 

S is in his 80s and has worked at an Upper East Side animal hospital for more than ten years. He cleans the cages and walks the dogs that are there for grooming appointments or are boarding for a few days. Prior to the pandemic he worked full time but with fewer New Yorkers bringing their pets in to be groomed regularly, his hours were reduced to two days a week. He has no interest in retiring any time soon but said that he does now prefer working part-time.  

Donna began working at Old Navy in 2019 (you can read her story in the January 2021 Newsletter) but was furloughed when the pandemic began and stores closed. She was anxious to get back to work and get out of her apartment, where she was feeling isolated and depressed. Thankfully, stores reopened last summer and Donna returned to Old Navy! Not only did Donna return to work, she was promoted and transferred to the UES store! 

When Corinthian was hired as a custodian at a family shelter in the Bronx in 2018, working full-time gave him a sense of responsibility. The job became even more important to him last year as he took pride in being an essential worker and loved being able to go out and safely interact with others.  

“I get up every single morning and have somewhere to be,” he shared last year when most people were staying in their homes. “It’s a good feeling to go outside and to be needed somewhere. It feels good to clean, to do the right thing, and to get paid for it.” 

Throughout the pandemic, Monique Phillips, the Program Manager at the NCS Residence has been guiding these three clients, along with the others, to remain vigilant and to always wear their masks, wash their hands and socially distance when possible.  

“67% of the tenants at the NCS Residence are vaccinated and so it’s become more of a struggle to get them to wear masks in the building,” she shared. “I try to remind them that they need to be mindful and respectful of their fellow residents and that they can still get COVID even after being vaccinated. I impress upon them the importance of doing this, not only in the Residence, but also while out, whether they’re socializing or at work.” 

Congrats to S, Donna, and Corinthian for working through the pandemic and thank you to Monique for keeping the clients safe.