Gilberto “Gil C” Cintron, LMSW
Founder, Never Alone Home Care Services, Inc.
People aging in recovery deserve to age with dignity, support, and understanding — not isolation, instability, or unnecessary risk.
My name is Gilberto “Gil” Cintron, and I am the founder of Never Alone Home Care Services, Inc.
This organization would not exist without two dear friends, both of whom are medical professionals, Aisha Hakim McCartey, RN, BSN, PHNC, CASAC, and Larry Butler, LPN, CASAC, who believed in this vision from the beginning and affirmed the urgent need for this work. I remain deeply grateful for their support and integrity.
I am a person in long-term recovery who is actively aging in recovery. My life experience, professional training, and decades of community service have shaped the vision behind this organization.
Like many others, my early life was deeply affected by addiction. Substance use led to instability, loss, and harm — to my family, my community, and myself. For nearly three decades, I lived under the weight of addiction and its consequences.
Recovery Changed the Direction of My Life
After many unsuccessful attempts to stop using, I began my recovery in 1988. I do not promote one pathway over another. For me, the Twelve Steps provided the structure and accountability that made long-term recovery possible.
Recovery reopened doors that addiction had closed. I was able to complete my undergraduate education and later earn my Master of Social Work from Fordham University.
In the early years of my recovery, I worked at the Puerto Rican Association for Community Affairs (PRACA) during the crack cocaine and AIDS epidemics, helping to develop specialized services for vulnerable children and families. That work received national recognition and shaped my lifelong commitment to service.
I later served as Chief of the Drug Elimination Program at the New York City Housing Authority, and later spent decades working in community development and human services.
Today, I also serve as Executive Director of Helping Immigrants Thrive, Inc., a nonprofit focused on immigration navigation and community support.
One principle has guided my life in recovery and in service: Service is a responsibility, not a status.
Why Never Alone Home Care Services, Inc. Was Created
As a person in long-term recovery who is now aging himself, I began to notice a troubling pattern among peers in recovery, those that I have known for decades. Many of us are blessed to be growing older — but not all are doing so safely or with adequate supports.
Some become frail.
Some develop chronic illness.
Some lose mobility.
Some experience cognitive decline.
Some become homebound.
Some live alone with multiple challenges.
Over time, it became clear that even after years of stable recovery, aging and illness can place that recovery at risk when the right supports are not in place.
I have seen too many friends relapse or pass away — not because they lacked commitment, but because isolation replaced connection and routine disappeared.
Never Alone Home Care Services, Inc. was created to address this gap.
Our Commitment: Supporting those Aging in Recovery
Never Alone Home Care Services, Inc. exists to support people who are aging in recovery through recovery-aware home support, health navigation, and care coordination, delivered with dignity, professionalism, and clear ethical boundaries.
As the organization grows, we are committed to expanding supportive and clinical services through appropriately licensed professionals.
This work is personal.
It is informed by lived experience.
It is grounded in professional standards.
And it is driven by service.
People aging in recovery deserve to remain connected, respected, and supported.
We exist to make that possible.