Council Member Ben Kallos at the press conference on renovation and upgrade to the Isaacs Center. Image credit: Council Member Ben Kallos.
Senior center and youth center in NYCHA housing will have kitchen and bathrooms upgraded. On June 8, 2018, City Council Member Ben Kallos, together with the New York City Housing Authority, announced the start of renovations and upgrades for the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center. The Isaacs Center is located in Holmes Towers at 415 East 93rd Street. Construction is expected to be completed by February 2019 and full completion and use of the facility scheduled to be available by July 31, 2019.
The Isaacs Center, a non-profit, multi-service organization serving the Isaacs Houses and Holmes Towers, both NYCHA developments, for more than 50 years. The Isaacs Center serves over 6,000 children and low-income families, out-of-school and out-of-work youth, and older adults annually. The Isaacs Center houses a senior center and a youth center. The senior center provides meals and critical safety nets to approximately 150 seniors daily. The youth center provides after-school programming and workforce development services to hundreds of children and young adults.
The project will renovate and upgrade the senior center kitchen and youth center facilities. The work will include replacement of existing kitchen equipment, new kitchen floor and ceiling, mechanical upgrades, complete bathroom renovation, replacement of plumbing fixtures, new LED lighting fixtures, and new doors and frames.
Image credit: Isaacs Center.
Renovations and upgrades will cost $2.1 million. Designation of funding for the project was done in previous years. However, renewed attention to citywide capital improvements to NYCHA facilities allowed the project to now move forward. Council Member Kallos allocated $680,000 in Fiscal Year 2015 and $350,000 in Fiscal Year 2017 for upgrades to the senior center and youth center. NYCHA and the City Council, including former Council Members who represented the neighborhood, provided the remaining funding.
Council Member Kallos said, “The Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center is truly one of our community’s cornerstones. I could not think of a better way to put this money to good use in a way that will benefit the everyday lives of my constituents. I am looking forward to the work being completed and happy for those who will reap the benefits.”
Gregory J. Morris, President and Executive Director of the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center said “Feeding older adults and families in need, as well as providing safe and engaging places for children to learn, grow and play have been central to the mission of the Isaacs Center, since its founding. Renovations to our senior center kitchen and youth center facilities are a significant win for this community, and speak to the City’s renewed focus on critical investments in public housing residents.”
