Dominican Sisters begin ministry to seniors living in the Times Square area of New York City. Encore Community Services begins as a modest, church-based program at St. Malachy Church in 1977. With the leadership of Sisters Elizabeth Hasselt and Lillian MacNamara, Encore becomes a dynamic and multi-faceted organization serving thousands of poor, homebound, and homeless elderly in Manhattan’s west midtown community, providing over 340,000 meals annually, including 1100 meals a day delivered to homebound seniors. Encore Senior Center’s programs include social services, recreational and educational activities, and supportive services for the homebound, all with the mission of improving the quality of life of seniors in need and helping seniors to remain living at home. To address the critical shortage of housing for seniors with special needs, Encore expands to provide safe and affordable housing for formerly homeless seniors who suffer with mental illness as well as very low-income seniors.