Meet the Residents
EGA provides support services for young adults, ages eighteen to twenty-five, who have aged out of the foster care and juvenile justice systems and have histories of abuse, neglect, abandonment, or delinquency; been out of school for significant periods of time; and lived in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
To live in the residence, tenants must be homeless (by HUD standards) and have the emotional and physical capacity to function independently in a single occupancy apartment. 50% of EGR apartments are leased to tenants with a household income less than $13,200/year and 50% of EGR apartments are leased to tenants with a household income less than $17,600/year. Residents must be willing to sign a contract to participate in a service plan designed in cooperation with an Edwin Gould Residence case worker and to sign a letter of commitment pledging full cooperation with the Edwin Gould Residence Rules & Norms. Resident Blurbs Nicole I. Nicole was first placed in foster care when her mother died. From age three to twenty-one, Nicole lived within the system. When discharged at age twenty-one, Nicole moved in with her boyfriend. She had no job, no high school diploma. Within months, her relationship with her boyfriend deteriorated and Nicole was out on the streets, bouncing between friends and family until she finally ended up in a homeless shelter. One month later, in March 2006, Nicole moved into Edwin Gould Residence. When she arrived in 2006, Nicole was working a dead-end job in security. With no GED or job skills, Nicole found herself struggling to find a place in the world. In the spring of 2007, Nicole got her change: she was offered a job at a well-known sporting apparel store. In the nine months that she has been employed at the store, she has been promoted three times, most recently to store manager. She is taking classes at Monroe Community College for Culinary Arts and has started training for the store manager position. As Nicole prepares to move to the next phase of her life, she is confident her school and employment will give her a valuable leg up in a society that has already challenged her to be the best she can be. Steven F. Originally from Florida, Steven is no stranger to the foster care system. Growing up, Steven bounced around a lot between his mother, relatives, and foster care. During his senior year in high school, Steven left his mother's house and moved in with his grandparents. He began working odd jobs while earning his GED. After a year, Steven started to bring his life together. He got his GED, bought a car and moved to Miami to start school. Suddenly, life changed and Steven was forced out of the apartment and had to move into his car. For nine months, Steven lived in his car while he worked part-time and went to school full-time. In 2004, the entire state of Florida was devastated by hurricanes and Steven was forced to evacuate Miami. He returned to his grandparent's home in upstate Florida. After a few months of working, Steven still hadn't returned to school. As finance major, Steven decided there was more opportunity for him in New York City than in Florida. Once in New York, Steven spent his first few months in New York sleeping in the park and drop-in centers. He looked for cheap rooms to rent, but nothing was available. He finally found a young men's shelter that could at least let him get a job. At the shelter, he got a job and started taking classes at BMCC. A friend from the shelter (now current EGR resident) referred him to Edwin Gould Residence. Steven was approved and moved in early 2007. Since his arrival, Steven has continued to remain steadily employed and was accepted at Baruch College to continue his degree in finance.