Tihirah's story

Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter provides New Yorkers who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with a home, a community, and access to the services that they need to thrive.

And your support makes all of this possible for so many people, including Tihirah.

Read her story, watch her share more in her own words, and support NCS’s other clients.

When she was 18 years old, Tihirah was running out of options.

She lived with her grandfather in the Bronx, until he kicked her out. Tihirah started house hopping, staying with friends and relatives who could offer her a temporary place to sleep.

And though Tihirah didn’t always know where she would sleep at night, she knew that she wanted more for her future. She enrolled in college, but moving around so often made it hard to go to school. So Tihirah moved into a homeless shelter.

While the shelter helped Tihirah continue taking classes, it was lonely, scary…and temporary. Fortunately, she was referred to Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter and she moved into Louis Nine House.

She took advantage of the education and vocational support, and worked with her case manager to set goals and design a plan to meet them.

Tihirah earned her Associate’s degree, and then her Bachelor’s degree. She finished the NYC Teaching Collaborative program, and started teaching special education in the Bronx. And now she is taking classes to finish her Master’s degree.

Earlier this year, Tihirah moved out of Louis Nine House to her own apartment and is able to support herself, including paying rent with no subsidies.

Tihirah’s success isn’t the only one. Each of the hundreds of people Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter serves during the year has their own remarkable story—that you made possible.