NCS To Pilot New Program

NCS recently announced plans to develop a pilot program to provide a residence for college students who are experiencing homelessness.

A study released in March 2019 by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice found that 55% of CUNY students reported experiencing housing insecurity, with 14% having been homeless in the previous year. That number increases to 18% for the system's community colleges. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn suggest that these numbers have already risen and will continue to climb.

Our goal is to provide stable housing and on-site supports that will give unhoused college students the best chance to complete their degrees and begin successful futures. We are pleased to have secured planning grants from Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies and Booth Ferris Foundation, and a College Completion Innovation Fund award from Graduate NYC.

You can read more about this issue and our planned solution in this article and we will share updates on our progress. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Nancy Riedl, NCS’s Chief Development Officer, at nriedl@ncsinc.org.

12/6/2021 UPDATE— Thank you to the following funders for investing in the planning and early implementation phases of this important project: 

• Booth Ferris Foundation 

• The Fullgraf Foundation 

• Graduate NYC College Completion Innovation Fund 

• The Lucius N. Littauer Foundation 

• Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies