An East Harlem Community Braces For Life Without Its Center

Children’s Aid Society’s East Harlem Center is a touchstone for the local community: There’s Head Start for the little kids, after-school programs for the older children, and camps during the summer.

Many parents have come to count on the free programs, especially as the surrounding neighborhood becomes more expensive. “This neighborhood has changed so much and this building has always been the safe haven for everyone,” said Pennylane Ortiz, who attended Head Start at the center and now sends her children there.

But like many longterm residents in East Harlem, the center is facing financial challenges of its own. The building at 101st Street and Lexington Avenue is over a century old and needs repairs, including a new roof, heating and air conditioning systems, and ramps for wheelchairs. So, a few months ago, Children’s Aid announced plans to sell some of its land to a developer and build a new building. During construction, the programs, teachers and students will relocate to nearby schools for a couple years and move back when the new center is ready.

“It’s the affordability [crisis] as seen by the nonprofit struggling to make sure that we’re meeting the new minimum wage requirements, health insurance costs, just the physical investment that’s needed in East Harlem,” said Children's Aid Society's Executive Director Phoebe Boyer.

Boyer said the decision to sell part of the property came down to math. The nonprofit blends city, state and federal funding to serve approximately 50,000 families at more than 40 sites. But government funding is mostly flat while expenses are rising. Children’s Aid raises money from donors to subsidize its programs, but its not enough to cover capital costs. Boyer said it’s an issue nonprofits are facing across the city.

Still, the decision prompted an outcry from community members.

“It will hurt our hearts to see this building close for two years,” said Nilsa Orama, chair of the local community board. Some accused Children’s Aid of capitalizing on the hot real estate market and contributing to gentrification. At a heated community meeting, they held up signs saying "Shame on You, Displacing our Children in the Name of Greed."

But Boyer said the plan is to stay in East Harlem where the density of public housing means child poverty is growing even as the neighborhood gentrifies. "This temporary move is about rebuilding, but also finding a way to make sure our programs are sustainable," she said. "Our commitment is to rebuild."

Ortiz said she's confident the community can weather the disruption. “It doesn’t matter what happens to the building itself, it’s the staff and the children and everybody who puts a piece of themselves in it," she said.