Growing up the youngest of eight children raised by a single mom in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, Gary Jenkins learned early that survival in New York City required a kind of vigilance most children never have to develop. He grew up in a household where money was inconsistent and the future felt even less certain.
It would have been easy, even expected, for Jenkins to follow the same trajectory as others who grew up in the same environment — if not for the guidance of someone special in his life. “I had an older sister who really guided and protected me and made sure that I stayed on the right path,” said Jenkins, 59. “Everyone around me somehow got caught up on the wrong side of the road, incarceration, using drugs, drinking.”
But he didn’t.
Later, a social worker told him, “Gary, you don’t have to be a product of the rest of your family. You can make a difference.” She encouraged him to apply for college and said she would provide him with the supporting documentation for financial aid. The interaction helped change Jenkins’s life — and was also where the seeds of public service were first sown for him. “Just going down there and watching her interact with different families … that’s when it resonated with me to say, I want to give back. I want to give back to others,” Jenkins said. Now, as CEO of Urban Pathways, a nonprofit committed to serving and supporting unhoused and at-risk adults, he’s helping others determine their own direction in a positive way. Jenkins’s current role is the perfect encapsulation of how he likes to work: serving the most needy with the freedom to make decisions that have the greatest impact. He was appointed to the top leadership spot of Urban Pathways in March, after serving as its inaugural chief administrative officer for two years. He succeeded Fredrick Shack, who served as CEO for 21 years.
“Transitioning over to a nonprofit and understanding that I can make a greater impact in the nonprofit world, because all of the bureaucracy is removed …,” said Jenkins. “When I want to, I can start a pilot program without going through so many hoops, like through city hall and the state government.”
Opened eyes
After completing college at SUNY Oswego, Jenkins dove right into public service, starting as an eligibility specialist at a center in Queens. “I was very [proud] that I was able to go back. I was able to help families that look like me, and honestly, I also focused on the kids that came in the job. I did the recertifications and new applications. I made it so I had a conversation with them and said, ‘I was you back then — yeah, look at me. I’m sitting to see and I’m helping your family. I’m giving back. It’s always important.’”
Jenkins climbed the ladder in the New York City Department of Social Services, starting as an eligibility officer and eventually becoming commissioner. He credits his success to being laser-focused on who his ultimate customer was: the people.
During his tenure, he was able to extend the curfew time at shelters by one hour. Single adults had to be in the shelter no later than 10 p.m., families with children by 9 p.m., or they lost a bed and had to be reassigned to another shelter.
He said shelter residents told them the curfew was difficult for them because they wound up leaving places where they had established relationships. Through his advocacy, he made a surprising discovery: The initial curfew time was set because it was convenient for staff. “We had to get refocused to serve the clients, not for us, for our jobs to be better,” said Jenkins. “Even today, I run into the clients and they thank me for changing that curfew hour for them.”
Jenkins does admit that working within city government, even at the highest levels as commissioner, has constraints. “What surprised me the most, honestly, was the bureaucracy, the politics of being in that position, that you had to interact with so many external factors, where the focus should have been on the people that we serve, [as] opposed to the politics of getting things done and how it got done,” said Jenkins.
Jenkins said he balanced the limitations of his role by always being transparent with the people he served.
“When we met with different focus groups, because we met with the people with lived experience, we would let them know ‘we’re fighting on your behalf,’” explained Jenkins. “We’re advocating on your behalf, but there’s a process that we have to go through, and we have rules and regulations outside of the city government, because the state is our oversight.”
Peeling back the layers
Jenkins, who also serves as vice president of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity’s Brooklyn Alumni Chapter, recently published a memoir titled “Never Give Up: A Memoir of Resilience, Purpose, and Becoming the Change.” In it, he looks back at the limited resources and challenges he had growing up, and sends a message that where you start doesn’t determine your outcome. “I wanted to tell my story and hopefully have it resonate with young Black boys that grew up like me. Current circumstances don’t define your future,” said Jenkins. Because of the success he’s seen, Jenkins now has big goals while steering things at Urban Pathways. He plans to focus on getting access to alcohol and drug use services for the unhoused population he serves. “Historically, [Urban Pathways] has been great with dealing with mental health, but you also have to address the underlying issue that accompanies mental health, and that’s alcohol and drug use,” he said, “so I’m working on bringing those services to our population, so they can be addressed at the state level, at the city level, but also onsite at our locations.”
Jenkins reiterated that Urban Pathways is a housing-first service, and they do not turn anyone away. People can drop in for a shower and meal, and get access to help with transitional shelter and, ultimately, permanent housing. They also have a program called Total Wellness, staffed with a licensed psychiatrist, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses. Under Jenkins’s leadership, they’re also piloting a proactive team. “This is a group that goes to different locations, looking at high-acuity cases, the chronic cases, and works with those individuals on an individual basis,” Jenkins explained.
As Jenkins continues at the helm of Urban Pathways, he leads with his own story. “I have lived experience, so this work is personal to me. It’s not a job,” he said.