In a world of increasing division and social isolation, Queens Community House (QCH) remained committed this year to building a Queens where everyone belongs, creating spaces where people across the life cycle learn, grow, and find meaningful connections, newcomers and old timers forge common ground, and people from all backgrounds become true neighbors. Below are some highlights from a memorable 2024.

RIBBON CUTTING OF FOREST HILLS COMMUNITY CENTER

On May 9, more than a hundred supporters joined us as we celebrated the completion of our Forest Hills Community Center renovation! Among the many friends and supporters present hand were Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, DASNY CEO Robert Rodriguez, Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi, Senator Joseph Addabbo, Council Members James Gennaro and Lynn Schulman, and former Council Members Daniel Dromm and Karen Koslowitz. The $12M project saw numerous upgrades to the building's infrastructure, made it completely ADA accessible, brought in additional natural light, and created numerous enhancements to our program space. "No matter what your socioeconomic status is, no matter what your zip code is, this place has always been open to everyone," said BP Richards. We look forward to serving the communities of central Queens at our Center for decades to come.

FREEDOM SCHOOLS

The past summer marked our second year facilitating intensive summer literacy work at our Freedom School sites, the Forest Hills (FHCC) and Pomonok Community Centers (PCC). The Freedom Schools curriculum, created by the Children's Defense Fund, empowers young learners with culturally rich lessons and high-quality literature, fostering self-awareness and civic engagement and preventing summer reading loss. Our sites performed outstandingly well in our first 2 years: 92% of children at the PCC and 96% at the FHCC (compared to 85.1% nationally across Freedom School programs) with an average increase in 11 months of instructional reading levels. The program also helped them to improve social emotional learning competencies such as self-empowerment and responsible decision-making. CDF training has enhanced our school-year Family Literacy work at our after-school sites, and we are looking for ways to expand the program next summer into some of our school-based camps.

25TH ANNUAL YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

25 years of nurturing and showcasing future women leaders in Queens! On May 18, more than 150 friends and family members attended our Access For Young Women program's 25th Annual Youth Leadership Conference. Participants led workshops tackling pressing social issues including financial inequality, homelessness, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and environmental impact. In a standout session, middle school students demonstrated their leadership skills by organizing "Menstruation Access & Action", an interactive workshop where teens assembled menstrual kits for Sanctuary for Families in Queens, supporting domestic violence survivors in Queens. This youth-led initiative exemplifies how this award-winning program has helped transform young women in Queens into confident leaders able to address real challenges in their schools and neighborhoods.

JACKSON HEIGHTS FAMILY ENRICHMENT CENTER OPENS

In November, we opened the doors of our newest program for families: The SEVEN Family Enrichment Center (SEVEN stands for "Socially Empowered, Vibrantly Engaged Neighborhood"). In partnership with NYC’s Administration for Children’s Services, the SEVEN (87-10 Northern Blvd., Suite 202) is a welcoming space designed to support and strengthen young families in the Jackson Heights community.

"What’s key about this program is that it’s a community-led initiative: we start by hearing directly from the community what are the specific resources they need," said Program Director Tiffany Nunez. Families will be able to access parenting resources, educational workshops, family activities, and personalized assistance to help them achieve greater household stability and well-being.

Follow @theseven_fec on Instagram for updates about the program.

EXPANDING SENIOR CASE MANAGEMENT

Our Senior Case Management (SCM) program provides in-home assessments, benefits/entitlements enrollment, housekeeping/shopping assistance, and care coordination to homebound older adults. This year, we extended our longtime service to the elderly in Forest Hills, Rego Park, Corona, and Elmhurst and expanded our service to Pomonok Houses and northern Jamaica through partnerships with SNAP and Catholic Charities. Our Friendly Visiting Program, which works in conjunction with SCM, also grew, and we now offer that service to older adults throughout western and Central Queens.

QCH HOSTS TOWN HALL FOR OLDER ADULTS

Queens is leading the way in older adult population growth in NYC, with a remarkable increase of 39.3% in the last decade. Caring for Queens means ensuring that the needs of older adults are being heard, respected and addressed.

For this reason, on August 28 we hosted NYC Mayor Eric Adams at our Forest Hills Community Center for an Older Adult Town Hall. 120 members of our six Older Adult Centers gathered to express issues of concern to them, and to ask Mayor Adams what’s being done to address them. Many of the participants emphasized increased funding for NYC Aging to support programs and services for older adults. Other issues raised included personal safety fears, lack of affordable housing for older adults, mental health, and transportation challenges.

To watch the Older Adult Town Hall, click here!