Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services Corporation

Last updated on October 30, 2008

The mission of the GCNSSC is to provide immediate assistance to homeless people in the east side of mid-town Manhattan on a 24-hour-a-day basis.

Description:
The Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services Corporation’s Multi-Service Drop-in Center serves a “street homeless” population of single adults. Those who use our center range from 18 to 75 years of age, with an average age of 31.5. Seventy-six percent are male. Eighty percent are African-American; 9% are White; 9% are Hispanic; 2% are other. The average length of time spent at the Center is 4 months.

GCNSSC currently provides services to over 300 homeless adults each day, on average. These include: basic services, perhaps the most important of which are food, clothing, showers, a place to sit (day room), and limited medical services; and a range of social services that are part of our own programs and crisis intervention and counseling; assessment and referral to treatment programs; outreach through street contacts and “Network Fairs;” shelter and housing placement; job-training and job placement programs; and a self-help center.

Over the last year, we cooked for and served an average of 400 meals a day: breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. An average of 300 people a day came into the building for these meals and other services, including use of our day room; 136 of them, on average, spent the night on chairs in our day room. We intake five to ten new people a day, and at any given time are providing housing, employment, training, counseling, and other social services to an open caseload averaging 800 people. We have a full-time staff of 60, some of whom are former clients.

Part of our mission is to help the homeless expand their own resources and build networks and skills to achieve their goals. We also work to expand the institutional resources dedicated to helping the homeless by networking with local social service providers, Business Improvement Districts, and the wider business community. Subject to funding and safety considerations, we are inclusive rather than exclusive, that is, we try to give some degree of assistance to all who seek it.

We provide a broad range of services to midtown’s homeless, including:
emergency shelter, substance abuse services, crisis intervention, assessment and referral to treatment programs, outreach, individual and group counseling, clothing, showers, transitional and permanent housing, job readiness training, medical services, meals, mailing address, lockers, legal workshops, self-help center, Network Fairs

History:
Grand Central Neighborhood was established in 1989 as a solution to the large homeless problem on the streets of Midtown Manhattan. Established by the Grand Central Partnership business improvement district, GCN has since become a separate not-for-profit corporation and has continued with great success in bringing the homeless of Midtown indoors. GCN has continued to partner with the community and local businesses to best outreach and serve this needy population.

Contact person: Maura Cook, Volunteer Coordinator, (212) 883-0680 ext. 321, (email)
Office fax number: (212) 679-4673

Address:

120 East 32nd Street
New York, NY 10016
(See a map)

Web Site: http://www.gcncommunity.org

Directions:

We are between Park and Lexington Avenues on 32nd Street.
Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: 6 train to 33rd Street,
Walk distance (in minutes): 1 min.

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