Nomads of New York
Over 80,000 men, women, and children are living without a home in New York City. Our goal is to raise awareness and erase the stigmas around homelessness in order to build a community of respect, compassion, and empathy.
What is Nomads of New York?
I co-founded and launched a new nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and reducing the stigmas around homelessness by interviewing those who are unhoused in NYC.
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While "homeless" is a common term for people living on the streets, it has developed a negative and unfair connotation that connects to stereotypes. Instead, we use the term "nomads" to describe those without a home and often use "unhoused" to remind others that these are people who lost a life they once had due to unfortunate life events.
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Nomads of New York (NNY) focuses on representing the needs and lives of the unhoused, one story at a time. Many unhoused feel invisible and feared due to the unfair bias around homelessness. This takes away from the true strength, resilience, and humanity that each unhoused person has after their extreme life experiences. Their journeys are unique and deserve to be heard, so we created a space for the 600,000 unhoused Americans to share their individual stories and, in turn, break away from these stereotypes.
NNY's Origin Story:
Homelessness is a growing problem in the United States, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nomads of New York starts as a brand that brings awareness to the lives of the unhoused and works to create a solution that improves the quality of life of those experiencing homelessness in New York City. NNY used four main factors as a research foundation in order to build a robust, educational, and supportive community:
How can NNY improve the lives affected and education provided around the topic of homelessness?
The Demographics: Who is at Risk of Becoming Homeless?
The Resources: What is Available for the Unhoused?
* Coalition owns 2 shelters housing 400 people each.
Currently, there are 15 nonprofits in NYC focused specifically on homeless issues.
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What are their current obstacles?
Most organizations have their own resource cards with varying options of health and safety services. However, all of these cards give vastly different information from one another, and they are only offered in English and/or Spanish.
The Roadblocks: What Stigmas are Contributing to the Problem?
Discussion with Urban Pathways
"The goal is to encourage the homeless community to utilize the resources in the NYC shelters. We honestly have all the resources needed, but the miscommunication and stigmas between New York leaders and the unhoused is the actual root of the homelessness problem in our city."
- Keshia-Elaine, Supervisor
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Stigmas People Have Against the Unhoused
Stigmas the Unhoused Have Against Shelters
How Difficult is it to find a Shelter?
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It depends! According to the New York City Homeless Services, your age, gender, health, and other factors will determine how many shelters are available to you and how long you are eligible to stay in them.
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This leads us to the last research phase...
The Opportunities: How Will NNY Help the Unhoused Community?
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Nomads of New York
is designed to:
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reduce the stigmas around homelessness
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in order to
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build a connected NYC community with mutual respect and compassion
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in order to
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provide the resources the unhoused actually need
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and to finally
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make significant, long-lasting improvements in the homeless community.
Branding
Style Guides
Social Media Marketing
Web Educational Database
Collaborative
Research
Brand Representative
1st & 2nd Hand Research
Development and Testing
Community
Engagement
Nonprofit Collaborations
One-on-One Interviews
Audience Feedback
The Marketing and Social Media Branding
Tom
Cross-Streets: 22nd St & Bronx
Unhoused: for 3 years
Favorite Drink: Hang 10
Patrick
Cross-Streets: 27th & 5th
Unhoused: for 1 year
Favorite Drink: black coffee
Regina
Cross-Streets: Broadway & Fulton
Unhoused: for 3 years
Favorite Drink: Ginger Ale
Sequana
Cross-Streets: 42nd & 9th
Unhoused: for 5 months
Favorite Drink: coffee w/ cream
Interview with
Tom: 3 Years Unhoused
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‘‘I think of the shelters as rougher than the streets. People steal stuff. I had so much clothes, but you get a [tiny] locker and that’s it. Nothing allowed under your bed, no bags on top of it. The [shelter] will throw it away.”
Interview with
Regina: 3 Years Unhoused
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‘‘People ask me, ‘How did you get here?’ ‘Where’s your husband?’ ‘Why don’t you just get a job?’ ‘Don’t you wish you could shower?’ No, it’s just not that easy. Yes, of course, I want those things, but out here it’s not that easy at all.”
NNY's Mission Execution:
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With every story that is shared on the IG page and website, we include their cross streets, their first name, and their favorite coffee order to encourage those who follow us to start up a conversation or simply offer a coffee. The ultimate goal is to break down the stigma barriers, open up a conversation, and create a community of all New Yorkers, unhoused or not, that has a mutual understanding of respect, compassion, and empathy.
Web Design:
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The work in sharing the stories of the unhoused on social media is paired with the creation of the Nomads of New York website. Here, there are tabs for the individual nomad stories, information about the creation and missions of NNY, a fact database based on the research shared every Tuesday on Instagram, and a list of ways the community can help the local nonprofits achieve their goals of providing the necessary services to the NYC homeless communities.
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What is the Best Way to Approach Someone That May Need Help?
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Urban Pathways (a nonprofit in New Jersey and New York that focuses on helping the homeless at local airports) and Nomads of New York discussed the best ways to approach the homeless in the city. Leading with respect, empathy, and compassion will help build trust over time, which can lead to an open conversation and a chance to make a difference in the lives of the unhoused.
The Nonprofit Collaborations
Clean Bushwick Initiative
Volunteer groups who work together in NYC to clean the city and spread awareness for important topics.
Check out our IG Live Q&A here!
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Sheltersuit​
Sheltersuit creates full-body sleeping bag jackets for the unhoused living on the streets of NYC.
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Sustainable Start NY
Care packages are given to those we interview.
Check out our collaborations here!
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Bombas​
Bombas designs socks and clothing and donates a pair to the homeless for every purchase.
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