Grand Central Neighborhood

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Address

120 East 32nd Street
New York  NY  10016
United States

Contact

Inquiries / Information
212-883-0680 Ext. 308 (voice)

Website

www.grandcentralneighborhood.org

Short Profile

Provides immediate relief to Midtown Manhattan's homeless

Profile

COMMUNITY FOR ALL

The Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services Corporation (GCNSSC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization committed to providing immediate relief to Midtown Manhattan’s homeless population. Through their Mainchance Drop-In Center, they offer basic necessities (food, clothing, showers, and chairs for respite) and a range of social services including employment counseling, treatment referrals, and housing assistance.

In order to help people use their center as a bridge to a more secure life, they have designed a consumer-oriented membership program to meet their clients at their various levels of need — tailoring their services to fit the specific situations of each individual. They give their clients a choice and, in doing so, they give them a greater chance of success.

They recognize that, for some, simply coming in from the streets is a significant step. It is these people – those usually excluded from other service agencies – that they aid most.

MAINCHANCE DROP-IN CENTER

The Mainchance Drop-In Center is the Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services Corporation multi-service facility, and it is our home base. At Mainchance, clients can stay in emergency overnight shelter, receive a variety of services including housing, medical, social work, catch a bus to a faith-based overnight bed program and eat 3 meals a day in our kitchen.

UNDERGROUND ARTS ‘Where Art And Community Connect’

A multipronged cultural and arts programing initiative.

GCNSSC offers some of the most inspiring free arts programing in Midtown Manhattan. It offers clients and the neighboring community opportunities for self-expression, creative development and cultural exchange. This is a platform for the development of new relationships across diverse demographics to de-stigmatize the experience of being homeless through the universal need to experience and appreciate creative expression.

GCN has always been a place of gathering, celebration and re-energizing the spirit. Participate in their art workshops, speak up at a panel discussion, appreciate the art at their exhibits, introduce yourself to someone new at a poetry reading, or dance with abandon at their concerts.

-Music

-Painting

-Art Shows

-Poetry Readings

-Story Telling

-Comedy

-Script and Play readings

-Educational Lectures

HOUSING

GCNSSC’s helps their clients secure stable housing. Those who are disabled or chronically homeless may have significant barriers to housing stability, and they work closely with them to develop and improve the daily living skills that will help them sustain independent or supported housing.

There are many housing options available, including:

- General supportive housing

- Treatment-focused supportive housing for individuals with substance abuse issues

- Mental health supportive housing

- Rent-subsidy programs

- Housing for individuals living with HIV/AIDS

- Homeward Bound referrals

MEDICAL CARE

Clients deal with a wide range of health issues resulting from or exacerbated by life on the street. Often, homeless men and women desperately need medical treatment, but they may not know how to access care or might be reluctant to receive it.

GCNSSC makes treatment and care readily available and to facilitate early intervention, all in a safe environment. They do this in a variety of ways.

- Partnership with Lutheran/Mt. Sinai Community Medical Program, as well as a registered nurse and a nurse practitioner on-site at the Mainchance Drop-In Center to provide tuberculosis testing, general medical treatment and referrals.

- Programs like JCAP Living Proof and Partnership for the Homeless provide access to HIV/AIDS testing and counseling.

- Medical student volunteers from Cornell Medical School provide a more extensive evaluation of client’s health concerns on Monday evenings from September through June.

MENTAL HEALTH

It is estimated that approximately 25% of homeless single adults have mental health issues. Therefore, access to mental health care is vitally important for the welfare of many clients at GCNSSC. They provide mental health services through the Manhattan Psychiatric Outreach Program (MPOP).

Through a partnership with Bellevue Hospital Medical Center’s Mobile Crisis Unit, they are also able to provide crisis intervention, supportive therapy, psychiatric evaluations and situational assessments through a multidisciplinary team of professionals, including a psychiatrist, a psychiatric nurse, and a clinical social worker.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

For clients with addiction and substance abuse issues, they work closely with many Detox programs throughout the city. Because many clients decide to enter Detox right from the street, they provide transportation to these programs through their outreach team.

Once clients are released from Detox, they are welcome back to a safe environment at Mainchance, where they can give them information and resources on how to stay clean, and help them move on to special housing programs for people who have a history of substance abuse.

They are aided in our efforts by programs such as Project Renewal. Together, GCNSSC and Project Renewal aim to make treatment for substance abuse available to everyone.

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are a key component to the continued success of GCNSSC. By working within the agency, both groups and individuals can participate in a number of important initiatives.

The programs and services listed below are guidelines — if you have an idea for a workshop that is not listed, please do not hesitate to contact us!

To volunteer, please contact: Tiffany Livingstone, email: tlivingstone@gcnssc.org, 212-883-0680 Ext. 308.