Queens Community House

Last updated
Queens Community House
Founded1975;49 years ago (1975) [1] [2]
11-2375583 [3]
Legal status 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization [3]
PurposeQueens Community House provides individuals and families with the tools to enrich their lives and build healthy, inclusive communities. [1]
Headquarters108-69 62nd Drive
Forest Hills, Queens 11375, U.S.
Coordinates 40°44′10″N73°51′00″W / 40.7362377°N 73.850097°W / 40.7362377; -73.850097
Region
Queens, New York
Ben Thomases [3]
Revenue (2023)
$43,370,189 [4]
Employees (2023)
400 [4]
Website www.qchnyc.org
Formerly called
Forest Hills Community House

Queens Community House (QCH) is a non-profit human services agency in Queens, New York that operates programs for children, young adults, families, and older adults. [1] [3] [5] Like other settlement houses,QCH combines many community services under one roof. It is one of the largest human services organizations based in Queens, serving 25,000 individuals across 40 sites in 15 neighborhoods. [2] [6]

Contents

The flagship site is the Forest Hills Community Center, a 26,000 square foot facility at 108-25 62nd Drive in Forest Hills, Queens. It was renovated 2022–2024 for $16 million. [2] [7] [8]

History

In 1972, residents protested against Forest Hills Houses, a proposed public housing development with three 24-story buildings at 62nd Drive and 108th Street. It was part of Mayor John Lindsay "scatter-site" plan to construct public housing in neighborhoods that had none (as opposed to concentrating public housing in poor neighborhoods). White middle-class residents believed that the public housing would depreciate the community's quality of life because poor residents would move into the housing. Advocates for the project accused residents of racism, since the proposed development's residents would be mostly people of minority races. Mario Cuomo, a Queens lawyer and the future Governor of New York, was assigned to mediate the dispute and succeeded in halving the size of the project. His compromise proposal also included the creation of a community center on the campus. The Forest Hills Community House was incorporated, with initial board members from both sides of the controversy, to operate the center. [1] [2] [9]

In 2007, the organization changed its name to Queens Community House (QCH), to reflect its growth into numerous sites outside of Forest Hills. As of 2024, QCH operates 40 sites in 15 neighborhoods of Queens, including Long Island City, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona, Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Briarwood, Jamaica, Springfield Gardens, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Flushing, Bayside, and Queens Village. [6]

Services

QCH's programs serve children, young adults, adults and families, and older adults. [2]

Children and Youth Services

QCH has programs in 19 NYC public schools, including after-school and summer programs for elementary school and middle school students. [10]

Young Adult Services

For young adults transitioning to adulthood, QCH's programs include teen/young adult centers, youth workforce initiatives, programs for struggling high school students, college counseling, summer employment programs, and tech training. [11] [12]

Adult and Family Services

For adults and families, QCH operates food pantries, a childcare network, housing assistance, family support services, and community organizing.

Older Adult Services

For older adults, QCH has 6 older adult centers, a social adult day program, [13] [14] home-delivered meals, [15] a friendly visiting program, transportation services, and sponsors the Naturally Occurring Retirement Community in Forest Hills. [16]

Other demographics

For immigrants, QCH provides immigration services and free English and citizenship classes. For women, QCH has young women's leadership programming. [17] For the LGBT community, QCH has an LGBT teen center and an LGBT senior center. [18]

Advocacy and Organizing

In addition to providing direct services, QCH is engaged in advocacy and organizing efforts to address social issues affecting their participants, including affordable housing, [19] public green space [20] , and noncitizen voting rights [21] .

Financial

QCH's Fiscal Year 2025 budget is $39.2 million. Its funding comes from city, state and federal governments, foundations such as the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and The Clark Foundation, and private donors. It has had 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status since its 1975 founding; its EIN is 11-2375583. [3]

In late 2020, QCH purchased the Forest Hills Community Center [22] , its original and largest program site, and from 2023-2024 undertook a $12-million renovation of the space. [2] [7] [23] The administrative headquarters is located nearby at 108-69 62nd Drive. [1] [24]

QCH's annual gala raises about half a million dollars each year. [25] Gala honorees have included Jack Lew, the 76th Secretary of the Treasury and later US Ambassador to Israel. [26] [27]

Employees and Leadership

Queens Community House employs 500 staff. [4] The executive director of QCH is Ben Thomases and the president of the board is Michael Stellman. [3] [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flushing Meadows–Corona Park</span> Public park in Queens, New York

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park is a public park in the northern part of Queens in New York City, New York, U.S. It is bounded by I-678 on the east, Grand Central Parkway on the west, Flushing Bay on the north, and Union Turnpike on the south. Flushing Meadows–Corona Park is the fourth-largest public park in New York City, with a total area of 897 acres (363 ha).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozone Park, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States. It is next to the Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, a popular spot for Thoroughbred racing and home to the Resorts World Casino & Hotel. Traditionally home to a large Italian-American population, Ozone Park has grown to have many residents of Caribbean, Hispanic, and Asian backgrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Hills, Queens</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Forest Hills is a mostly residential neighborhood in the central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is adjacent to Corona to the north, Rego Park and Glendale to the west, Forest Park to the south, Kew Gardens to the southeast, and Flushing Meadows–Corona Park to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Beach, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Howard Beach is a neighborhood in the southwestern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered to the north by the Belt Parkway and Conduit Avenue in Ozone Park, to the south by Jamaica Bay in Broad Channel, to the east by 102nd–104th Streets in South Ozone Park, and to the west by 75th Street in East New York, Brooklyn. The area consists mostly of low-rise single-family houses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodhaven, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Woodhaven is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the north by Park Lane South and Forest Park, on the east by Richmond Hill, on the south by Ozone Park and Atlantic Avenue, and the west by the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East New York, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City

East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough line to the north; the Queens borough line to the east; Jamaica Bay to the south, and the Bay Ridge Branch railroad tracks and Van Sinderen Avenue to the west. Linden Boulevard, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Atlantic Avenue are the primary thoroughfares through East New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rego Park, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Rego Park is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. Rego Park is bordered to the north by Elmhurst and Corona, to the east and south by Forest Hills, and to the west by Middle Village. Rego Park's boundaries include Queens Boulevard, the Long Island Expressway, Woodhaven Boulevard, and Yellowstone Boulevard. There is a large Jewish population in the neighborhood, which features high-rise apartment buildings and detached houses, as well as a large commercial zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Hill, Queens</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Richmond Hill is a commercial and residential neighborhood located in the southeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens. The area borders Kew Gardens and Forest Park to the north, Jamaica and South Jamaica to the east, South Ozone Park to the south, and Woodhaven and Ozone Park to the west. The neighborhood is split between Queens Community Board 9 and 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattapan</span> Neighborhood of Boston in Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Mattapan is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Historically and for legal processes a section of Dorchester, Mattapan became a part of Boston when Dorchester was annexed in 1870. Mattapan is the original Native American name for the Dorchester area, possibly meaning "a place to sit." At the 2010 census, it had a population of 36,480, with the majority of its population immigrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Elmhurst, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

East Elmhurst is a residential neighborhood in the northwest section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded to the south by Jackson Heights and Corona, to the north and east by Bowery Bay, and to the west by Woodside and Ditmars Steinway. The area also includes LaGuardia Airport, located on the shore of Flushing Bay, LaGuardia Landing Lights Fields, and Astoria Heights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomonok, Queens</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Pomonok is a working class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. This large public housing development in South Flushing was built in 1949 on the former site of Pomonok Country Club. The name comes from the Algonquian name for Long Island, and means either "land of tribute" or "land where there is travelling by water".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard station</span> New York City Subway station in Queens

The Ozone Park–Lefferts Boulevard station is an elevated terminal station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Lefferts Boulevard and Liberty Avenue in Queens. It serves as the terminus of the A route's Lefferts Boulevard branch. Despite its name, the station is not actually located in Ozone Park, but rather in the adjacent neighborhood of South Richmond Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Hills station (LIRR)</span> Long Island Rail Road station in Queens, New York

The Forest Hills station is a station on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), located in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens in New York City. It is lightly used compared to other stations in the city, with 2,408 daily riders in 2023; many residents opt for the subway because of its more frequent service, cheaper fares, and direct express trains to Midtown Manhattan. The station is wheelchair accessible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenox Hill Neighborhood House</span>

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is a multi-service, community-based organization that serves people in need on the East Side of Manhattan and on Roosevelt Island. Founded in 1894 as a free kindergarten for the children of indigent immigrants and as one of the first settlement houses in the nation, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is the oldest and largest provider of social, legal and educational services on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Each year, they assist thousands of individuals and families who range in age from 3 to 103, represent dozens of races, ethnicities and countries of origin and "live, work, go to school or access services" on the East Side from 14th Street to 143rd Street and on Roosevelt Island. Their clients include indigent families and the working poor who live in the East Side's housing projects and tenements or who travel to the Upper East Side to work in low-wage jobs such as cashiers, housekeepers, nannies and laborers; 10,000 seniors; and hundreds of mentally ill homeless and formerly homeless adults. They have five locations between 54th and 102nd Streets, offer programs at dozens of East Side locations; their headquarters is located on East 70th Street.

Hamilton-Madison House is a voluntary, non-profit settlement house dedicated to improving the quality of life of its community, primarily that of the Two Bridges/Chinatown area of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The neighborhood is a federally designated poverty area, with a constantly changing mixture of ethnic groups, and lack of adequate services and resources. An average income of a family living in the area is $17,000. Further, more than 25% of the seniors live on less than $15,000 a year, of which 40% goes toward housing. In the past 108 years, Hamilton-Madison House has developed programs that meet the changing needs of its community. In 1965, with a change in federal immigration policies, the community's predominant immigrant became Chinese New Yorkers. Since that time, the organization's staff has grown to include a staff of 300 who collectively speak 15 languages, including 6 Chinese dialects. Further, the House's long-standing programs have been adapted to meet the cultural norms of this expanding population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Hills Co-op Houses</span> Co-op development in Queens, New York

The Forest Hills Co-operative Houses are located on an 8.5-acre (34,000 m2) site at 108-03 62nd Drive on the border of the Queens neighborhoods of Forest Hills and Corona in New York City, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breaking Ground</span> Nonprofit organization in New York City

Breaking Ground, formerly Common Ground, is a nonprofit social services organization in New York City whose goal is to create high-quality permanent and transitional housing for the homeless. Its philosophy holds that supportive housing costs substantially less than homeless shelters — and many times less than jail cells or hospital rooms, and that people with psychiatric and other problems can better manage them once they are permanently housed and provided with services. Since its founding in 1990 by Rosanne Haggerty, the organization has created more than 5,000 units of housing for the homeless. "This is about creating a small town, rather than just a building," according to Haggerty. "It's about a real mixed society, working with many different people." Haggerty left the organization in 2011 to found Community Solutions, Inc. Brenda Rosen was promoted from Director, Housing Operations and Programs to Executive Director, and has led the organization since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowne Park</span> Public park in Queens, New York

Bowne Park is a 11.79-acre (4.77 ha) park in Broadway–Flushing, Queens, New York, east of downtown Flushing. It is bordered by 29th Avenue on the north, 32nd Avenue on the south, 155th Street on the west, and 159th Street on the east. The park consists of a playground, basketball courts, bocce court, and a kettle pond. The area immediately surrounding the park, developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was originally also marketed as "Bowne Park" and is part of modern-day Murray Hill and Broadway–Flushing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nantasha Williams</span> American politician

Nantasha M. Williams is an American politician from New York City. A Democrat, Williams represents the 27th district in the New York City Council, which covers parts of southeastern Queens.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Us | Queens Community House". www.qchnyc.org. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Empire State Development Announces Completion Of Queens Community House's $16 Million Renovation Of Forest Hills Community Center". esd.ny.gov. 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon (2013-05-09). "Queens Community House Inc - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved 2024-05-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 3 "Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax" (PDF). GuideStar. 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  5. ↑ "Queens Community House, Inc. - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  6. 1 2 "Map of Services | Queens Community House". www.qchnyc.org. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  7. 1 2 Medina, Anthony (2024-05-14). "Queens Community House completes $16 Million Forest Hills Community Center renovation project". qns.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  8. ↑ Dorgan, Michael (2022-11-04). "Queens Community House Renovates Forest Hills Headquarters". Jackson Heights Post. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  9. ↑ "History | Queens Community House". www.qchnyc.org. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  10. ↑ Medina, Anthony (2023-12-20). "Community Board 9 gifts over 400 toys in Ozone Park". Queens Post. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  11. ↑ CompTIA. "Free tech skills training available to young adults in Queens through new program from Queens Community House and CompTIA". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  12. ↑ Parry, Bill (2022-08-02). "Queens Community House programs connects youth with valuable skills this summer". qns.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  13. 1 2 Rose, Naeisha (2023-07-06). "New senior center opens in Jamaica". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  14. ↑ Parry, Bill (2023-09-08). "Queens Community House reopens Social Adult Day Services program in Forest Hills after pandemic hiatus". qns.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  15. ↑ "NY Connects: Home Delivered Meals". www.nyconnects.ny.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  16. ↑ Chen, Michelle (2017-04-01). "The Aging City: In a Migrant Metropolis, When New Arrivals Grow Old, Where Do They Go?". Truthout. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  17. ↑ Queens Gazette on (2015-11-25). "Queens Community House Announces New Associate Executive Director". Queens Gazette. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  18. ↑ Tracy, Matt (2023-12-28). "Queens Center for Gay Seniors fosters inclusive atmosphere for LGBTQ older adults". gaycitynews.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  19. ↑ Brand, David; Jun 13, Neil MehtaPublished; Jun 13, 2023Modified; 2023Share (2023-06-13). "Queens residents demand affordable housing on site of old psych hospital". Gothamist. Retrieved 2024-06-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. ↑ "Queens Has Quietly Become a Hub of Left-Wing Organizing and Socialist Electoral Wins". jacobin.com. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  21. ↑ "Forest Hills Nonprofit to Take Part in Mock Election on Nov. 5". Forest Hills, NY Patch. 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  22. ↑ Brand, David (2021-02-08). "Queens Community House purchases long-time Forest Hills headquarters". Queens Daily Eagle. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  23. ↑ "Community Development Champions". Goldman Sachs. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  24. ↑ Parry, Bill (2023-10-30). "Speaker Adams supports Queens Community House after-school program at P.S.106Q in Jamaica". qns.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  25. ↑ Parry, Bill (2019-11-07). "Queens Community House raises nearly half a million dollars at annual gala in Astoria". qns.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  26. ↑ "Queens Gazette: QCH honors Jacob Lew, Forest Hills Native and 76th Secretary of the Treasury". www.qchnyc.org. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  27. ↑ Davenport, Emily (2018-09-14). "Jacob Lew to be honored at upcoming gala in Astoria hosted by Queens Community House". qns.com. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.