UJA-FEDERATION OF NEW YORK BRINGS NEW HOPE TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF STRUGGLING NEW YORKERS
Opens “Queens Hub,” a new 9,600-square-foot one-stop center providing job training, social services, and a digital food pantry
NEW YORK CITY (October 6, 2020) — UJA-Federation of New York, in partnership with Commonpoint Queens, and joined virtually by U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, U.S. Representative Grace Meng, and a number of New York City and State elected officials, today opened the Queens Hub, a new 9,600-square-foot social service center that will offer employment resources, social services, and access to food in Elmhurst, Queens. UJA has invested nearly $10 million to build the Hub and committed an additional $1.4M per year for a total of five years in operating costs. The remainder of funding will be sourced from public grants. Commonpoint Queens manages Hub programming, and staff includes nearly 40 professionals from Commonpoint and other UJA partners.
“The opening of the Queens Hub is the realization of a years-long initiative at the core of UJA’s mission — to do all we can to help those in poverty. And with the current pandemic, there’s never been a more pressing need in our lifetimes for this kind of support,” said Eric S. Goldstein, CEO, UJA-Federation. “Now, thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers can visit the Hub and receive comprehensive services in one place dramatically benefiting themselves and their families.”
Open to all New Yorkers starting October 7, 2020, the Hub is expected to serve 6,000 clients in its first year. 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 finding employment. The Hub also offers case management, mental health counseling, benefits screening and enrollment, emergency cash assistance, and access to the Commonpoint Queens Digital Food pantry.