Project Open at Lincoln Towers is a wonderful resource for Lincoln Towers residents, especially the almost ten percent of Lincoln Towers residents who are seniors, and the many more residents who have parents or other relatives who are elderly but living elsewhere. Project Open is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation with a centrally located office on the first floor of 180 West End Avenue, which is dedicated to providing services to help older residents live with dignity and in comfort in their own homes, and to counseling younger adults at Lincoln Towers whose older relatives need assistance. In addition, Project Open provides social, recreational and educational activities that all residents can take advantage of. Founded by Lincoln Towers residents in 1990, Project Open has a social worker and a part time escort on staff, and more than 50 volunteers, who together serve more than 500 seniors a year. It is a non-sectarian, cooperative effort of tenants and shareholders providing services without regard to income, one of a few such organizations in Manhattan exclusively dedicated to residents of a specific building or group of buildings. It is funded chiefly by contributions from Lincoln Towers residents, support from the coop Boards, some government grants and various fund-raising activities held throughout the year.
