Nazareth Housing is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit, non-sectarian organization with a long and proud history of innovation and advocacy in the field of housing, emergency shelter and homelessness prevention for low-income families. Founded in 1983, Nazareth Housing is a pioneer in the development of scattered site emergency family shelter for homeless families. Born out of the homesteading movement in the 1970’s, Nazareth Housing incorporated in June 1983. Nazareth Housing has developed permanent housing across the Lower East Side, providing the fiscal and renovation management for 13 homesteaded buildings that restored 150 units of affordable housing to the community. With a long standing commitment to affordable housing for low-income households and seniors, we operate two affordable/supportive buildings in Alphabet City.

Providing transitional housing to homeless families with dependent children, we operate emergency family shelters in the Lower East Side and Harlem, offering intensive case management from a strength-based perspective. The individualized and personal case management services provided by our skilled team of professional case managers and specialists empowers families in their return to permanent and sustainable permanent housing. We currently house 118 families nightly in our shelters, nearly 450 people nightly of whom 65% are dependent children.

As a HUD certified Housing Counseling Agency, our participants are predominately comprised of households at risk of homelessness due to loss of work, underemployment and arrears issues stemming from a variety of socio-economic barriers. In 2006 Nazareth Housing initiated our Housing Stability Support Project (HSSP) to address the growing demand of households seeking assistance related to housing but not yet in need of emergency shelter. In our prevention services, families are evaluated for barriers to self-sufficiency and stable housing and receive a broad array of services. Nearly 14,000 households have received prevention services through HSSP since it began.

In the face of the recent years of economic recession and struggle for those at the social and economic margins, the Board and Staff of Nazareth Housing remain steadfast in our mission to prevent and end homelessness and to strengthen families and youth in building greater self-sufficiency.