FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 15, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
New social services center opens in Elmhurst
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
State and local elected offi cials joined
a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 6,
to announce the opening of a new social
services center in Elmhurst that will off er
employment resources and access to food
for New Yorkers.
Th e Queens Hub, located at 77-17
Queens Blvd., is a 9,600-square-foot
facility that is open to the public as of
Wednesday, Oct. 7. Th e Hub is expected
to serve 6,000 clients in its fi rst year.
UJA-Federation of New York, the largest
local philanthropy in the world, invested
Firefi ghters injured in South Richmond Hill blaze
BY JACOB KAYE
FDNY sent 33 units, or about 138 members,
jkaye@schnepsmedia.com
to the scene to fi ght the blaze making
@QNS
its way through the wood frame building.
Firefi ghters had the fl ames under control
A blaze in South Richmond Hill sent
about an hour later, according to the
four fi refi ghters to the hospital with
authorities.
non-life-threatening injuries Friday
No residents of the home were injured
morning.
during the incident, however four fi refi
On Friday, Oct. 9, around 10:16 a.m.,
ghters were taken to Jamaica Hospital to
fi refi ghters received a call about a fi re in a
be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
residential building located at 93-38 123rd
St., according to the FDNY.
Th e cause of the fi re is under investigation.
Making it’s way to a three-alarm fi re,
nearly $10 million to build the Hub
and committed an additional $1.4 million
per year for a total of fi ve years in operating
costs. Th e remainder of funding will
be sourced from public grants.
Eric Goldstein, CEO of UJAFederation
of New York, said the opening
of the Queens Hub is the realization
of a yearslong initiative at the core of UJA’s
mission — “to do all we can to help those
in poverty.”
“With the current pandemic, there’s
never been a more pressing need in
our lifetimes for this kind of support,”
Goldstein said. “Now, thousands of vulnerable
New Yorkers can visit the Hub
and receive comprehensive services in one
place dramatically benefi ting themselves
and their families.”
Meanwhile, Commonpoint Queens
will manage Hub programming with
about nearly 40 professionals from
Commonpoint and other UJA partners.
“It is all of our responsibilities to ensure
that no one be kept from their dreams
— a job paying a living wage, graduating
from high school or providing food for
their family,” said Danielle Ellman, CEO
of Commonpoint Queens. “Th e pandemic
has been devastating for our community
in so many ways. Th e opening of Th e
Hub will help thousands of people move
from crisis back to stability.”
An all-encompassing facility that provides
a range of social services to help
people stabilize their lives, the centerpiece
of the hub is a best-in-class workforce
development program, where potential
employers will participate in trainings,
increasing the likelihood of participants
fi nding employment.
Th e hub also off ers case management,
mental health counseling, benefi ts screening
and enrollment, emergency cash assistance,
and access to the Commonpoint
Queens Digital Food pantry.
Hub classrooms and computer labs will
open with a combination of virtual and
in-person classes for jobs in high-growth
industries including allied health, information
technology and solar technology.
Culinary arts skills and certifi cations
will be taught in a state-of-the-art onsite
training kitchen. In addition, clients
can also enroll in fundamental high
school equivalency classes and English as
a Second Language (ESL). Emphasis will
be placed on the skills required to obtain
a job, including resume writing and interview
preparation.
Th e New York Legal Assistance Group
and Hebrew Free Loan Society, two of
UJA’s nonprofi t partners, will provide Hub
clients with legal services and fi nancial
counseling, and access to interest-free
loans. Metropolitan Council on Jewish
Poverty is UJA’s partner in the Digital
Food Pantry system.
Despite recent improvements, more
than 1 million New Yorkers are out of
work and New York City’s unemployment
rate remains at 16 percent, nearly
double the national average. Hospitality,
retail and the arts continue to be among
the hardest-hit industries, with major
employers having to close altogether and
those who have managed to maintain
operations continuously forced to lay off
staff and reduce hours.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, state
Senator Toby Stavisky, Congresswoman
Grace Meng, Queens District Attorney
Melinda Katz and Council members
Barry Grodenchik and Peter Koo congratulated
Commonpoint Queens and UJAFederation
on the launch of Queens Hub.
“Th is critical node will be a tremendous
resource for all who visit. From job
resources to fi nancial and legal counseling,
these resources will ensure people can
answer their questions across an array of
issues,” Meng said. “I wish Queens Hub
success and look forward to it becoming
an anchor in our community.”
In response to COVID-19 and the
overwhelming demand for social services,
UJA allocated $4.6 million for six satellite
Hub locations that will open their
doors in November across Manhattan,
Brooklyn, Long Island and Westchester.
While the Queens Hub will be permanent
to respond to perennial poverty, the
satellite Hubs will serve as a shorter-term
COVID recovery response. UJA is also
working toward building a permanent
Brooklyn Hub.
New York City Comptroller Scott
Stringer said the new hub will play a key
part in the work to uplift New Yorkers
and ensure everyone regardless of socioeconomic
status has access to fi nancial,
legal and employment services in their
time of need.
“Communities of color, immigrants,
seniors and low-income families across
Queens are disproportionately bearing
the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic
and the economic crisis facing our
city,” Stringer said. “I applaud UJA and
Commonpoint Queens for launching
the Queens Hub, which will undoubtedly
serve as an essential resource for
Elmhurst’s most vulnerable residents.”
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Photo courtesy of UJA-Federation of New York
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