A History of Caring

2020: Lucia Gonzalez

Adult Residential Services

The Jewish Board’s rich history is woven from countless lives. As we celebrate our 150th anniversary, we’re sharing stories of the people we might have served over the decades through our myriad predecessor organizations. We hope that glimpses of these imagined lives — which have been inspired by original historical research — will give you a vivid snapshot of what 150 years of caring for New Yorkers was like.

Supportive Housing

Lucia experienced chronic homelessness and drug addiction, sleeping in shelters and the streets of Harlem for much of her adult life. In 2019, caseworkers found her a placement in Abraham III, a Jewish Board supportive housing program in Manhattan. For the first time, she had around-the-clock support and community. Lucia maintained months of sobriety and was able to start a reconciliation process with her sister Minerva. In April 2020, with COVID-19 raging through the city, The Jewish Board’s dedicated support staff kept Lucia from falling back into crisis, even as the world turned on its head.

Join us in looking back at those we served and meet more of the New Yorkers we supported in the last 150 years.