NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 3, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter (NCS), a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to providing housing and support for homeless New Yorkers since 1982, is looking for the next big idea in fighting homelessness in the city.

NCS has announced the launch of the inaugural NextGen Innovation Award, a new initiative designed to advance creative strategies for alleviating homelessness.

The award recognizes an emerging scholar or practitioner who has an innovative approach to addressing issues related to homelessness in New York and carries a $5,000 stipend to help bring the winning project to fruition.

“It is the mission of NCS to model and implement services that transform the lives of people struggling with homelessness,” said Executive Director Ann L. Shalof, who announced the NCS NextGen Innovation Award at the NCS Spring Benefit held May 2019 at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park.

“To that end, the NextGen Award, the signature initiative of the NCS NextGen Committee, will serve a dual purpose: to be an incubator for actionable ways to reduce and prevent homelessness, and to foster a new generation of community leaders who are committed to improving housing stability in New York City,” she added.

Don Peebles is Founder, Chairman and CEO of The Peebles Corporation and an active political supporter and fundraiser in the national arena. He also serves as Chair of NCS’s Selection Committee and was a featured speaker at the Spring Benefit. “I encourage the private sector to do more to help alleviate homelessness. Businesses must help to create more opportunities, programs and initiatives to help the homeless find a pathway to housing, jobs and self-worth,” said Peebles.

Candidates (individuals or groups) who wish to submit a project can learn more and find an application at www.ncsinc.org/nextgen-award. Deadline is October 15, 2019.

The winner will be selected in December 2019 and announced in early 2020.

• Over 100,000 New Yorkers are forced out of their housing within a year by evictions, building foreclosures, building sales, or building condemnations. Nearly one in seven of these is a child under age 13- Poverty Tracker

• NEXTGen Award Application Deadline is OCT 15, 2019

About NCS
Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter (NCS) provides housing and support to help transform the lives of homeless New Yorkers. Founded in 1982, NCS has been a model of community responsiveness to homelessness, earning a reputation for designing and implementing successful strategies. These have yielded positive results for homeless people, many with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

NCS was a pioneer in creating permanent supportive housing for adults as well as programs specifically for homeless young adults and youth aging out of foster care. NCS also conducts research to inform practices and improve services for chronically homeless individuals. Cutting-edge investigation has led to programmatic advances, including development of Chance for Change, a unique treatment program designed to address the overlapping challenges of homelessness and addiction.