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Guyanese entrepreneur builds one of New York’s largest home care agencies, expands across the U.S.
By Tracey Khan
(Kaieteur News) – From humble beginnings in Guyana to leading one of New York’s fastest-growing home care agencies, Navin Shivpal is living proof that the American dream is still within reach for those who lead with purpose.
Cottage Home Care Services CEO Navin Shivpal speaks at the grand opening of the company’s new Flatbush Avenue branch, celebrating the agency’s rapid growth and commitment to culturally competent care. (Photo by Leo Lysius)
Shivpal, a proud Guyanese immigrant, started Cottage Home Care Services just before the pandemic in a small Queens, New York office. Five years later, his agency now employs over 3,000 caregivers, serves thousands of families across New York, and is expanding to several U.S. states, including New Jersey, Maryland, and Michigan, with plans to enter Delaware, St. Louis, and Connecticut next year.
Recently, Shivpal celebrated another milestone: the grand opening of Cottage Home Care’s newest branch on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, a hub that not only provides quality care but also honours the Caribbean heritage of the communities it serves.
“This isn’t just about business,” Shivpal said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It’s about helping humanity. We’re expanding across states not to make a profit, but to give people opportunity, training, and stability.”
Staff members and CEO Navin Shivpal gather during the opening of the new Flatbush Avenue branch, marking a milestone as the agency continues its multi-state expansion. (Photo by Leo Lysius)
A Mission Rooted in Compassion and Culture
Under Shivpal’s leadership, Cottage Home Care has become known for blending compassion with cultural competence, an approach that resonates deeply in New York’s diverse neighbourhoods.
Cottage Home Care COO Nusrat Shova has led the expansion and growth of the home care agency and its Home Health Aide training programmes across New York. (Photo courtesy of Cottage Home Care Services)
Chief Operating Officer, Nusrat Shova said the company’s training programs, the Brooklyn Institute of Vocational Training in Queens and the Care Guide Training Institute in Brooklyn, prepare aspiring home health aides for meaningful careers.
“We started with three people, and now we’re one of the biggest,” Shova said. “But the goal has always been the same, to lift people through care and opportunity.”
Honoring Caribbean Excellence
The grand opening brought together elected officials, community leaders, and cultural advocates from across New York’s Caribbean diaspora for a day of celebration.
Council Member Rita Joseph, who represents Flatbush, praised Cottage for its personalized, people-first approach.
“When it comes to home care, everything isn’t cookie-cutter; it’s customized to the needs of the patient,” Joseph said.
Claire Patterson-Monah, Interim Executive Director of the Guyana Cultural Association of New York, highlighted the importance of cultural understanding in caregiving.
“When caregivers understand their clients’ favorite foods, music, and traditions — from roti to reggae, it transforms the experience,” she said. “Culturally competent care brings comfort, joy, and connection.”
Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Kim Council called Cottage Home Care “a model of care with soul,” while State Senator Kevin Parker praised its expansion as “an investment in health, community, and self-reliance.”
“You’re not just creating an entity,” Parker said. “You’re doing God’s work.”
(L–R) Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Kim Council, Council Member Rita Joseph, Cottage Home Care CEO Navin Shivpal, and State Senator Kevin Parker celebrate the agency’s Brooklyn expansion, recognizing its culturally rooted approach to serving Caribbean communities. (Photo by Leo Lysius)
Building Opportunity and Legacy
Branch Manager Sharmella Persaud, also of Caribbean descent, said Shivpal’s success has inspired many immigrant workers to pursue leadership in healthcare.
“Many of us are immigrants and see him as a role model,” she said. “He built this company from scratch in just five years, and he’s never forgotten where he came from.”
The ceremony concluded with performances by Caribbean entertainers Michael Ignatius and Fiona Singh, who brought the celebration to life through music, dance, and cultural pride.
For Shivpal, Cottage Home Care’s growth is not just a business achievement; it’s a calling.
“This is more than home care,” he said. “It’s about building trust, honouring heritage, and taking care of our own.”
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Usually, “caregivers” do not have to cook, rice, dhal, roti, chicken/duck/goat/lamb
curries or any other curries for the Elderly patient. But, that is what a company
requires of its employees, just to keep the job. Training as a caregiver
does not provide top pay, unless one is qualified as licensed, registered nurse.
Many “elderly” patients have unusual demands from their “aides” who should
just assist with light duties. heating up food, make tea, coffee etc. Agencies
like this make the most money since their care givers are paid minimum wages. Medicare is Federally Operated Insurance for 65 and over.
Medicaid, is Federally funded, but, passed to the State which run the program for poor, just like the SNAP (food stamp program). An elderly has
to be qualified to get these benefits- healthcare aides.
I saw comedienne CREDIT, from Guyana fame, as a graduate, published on
youtubetv a while back. Many are locked in as employees for a long time.
There was also another such Agency is Queens-Liberty Avenue area, operated by a Blonde Guyanese. Don’t know is she is still in business.