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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 27, 2017
CONTACT: media@nycha.nyc.gov

NYCHA AND HUDSON GUILD PROVIDE CRITICALLY NEEDED SENIOR SERVICES THROUGH NEW CENTER FOR LOW INCOME CHELSEA RESIDENTS

Fulton Center will provide state-of-the-art programming and opportunities to seniors, residents of NYCHA’s Fulton Houses, and the greater Chelsea Community.

Community Partner Hudson Guild will operate the upgraded Center, offering programs, senior meals and more.

An interior view of the newly redesigned Fulton Center
An interior view of the newly redesigned Fulton Center

NEW YORK– Today, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the Department for the Aging (DFTA) and Hudson Guild celebrated the launch of a full renovation of NYCHA’s Fulton Houses Community Center along with State Senator Brad Hoylman, Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, and Councilmember Corey Johnson. The new Fulton Center will bring critically needed services and support to the area’s seniors including public housing residents.

“We're thrilled to stand with our partners to break ground on the Fulton Center,” said NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye. “As part of NextGen NYCHA we are committed to providing residents with best-in-class services and opportunities. This new center will bring much needed resources to the Chelsea community, including physical and recreational activities and meals for seniors as we move towards achieving our NextGen goals.”

“This project coming together is a real testament to our neighborhood’s community commitment. The elected representatives, city officials, tenant leaders, program participants and neighbors who worked on this care about community services and the need for welcoming, modern, clean spaces for programs. All of us at Hudson Guild are grateful for their hard work and support,” said Hudson Guild Executive Director Ken Jockers.

“Senior centers provide a community space where older New Yorkers can enjoy everything from congregate meals to cultural programs. We are pleased that Fulton Neighborhood Senior Center members can look forward to a beautiful space once this renovation is completed,” said Department for the Aging Commissioner Donna Corrado. “We send our best wishes for a successful and safe renovation and look forward to the day when the Fulton Center can once again opens its doors to the community.”

Fulton Center includes a senior center operated by Hudson Guild in partnership with the Department for the Aging, which will provide programming for senior residents of Fulton Houses and the greater Chelsea community. Once renovations are complete, the Center is expected to serve 200 older adults daily, including 42,000 meals annually and 65 weekly activities.

The Fulton Center opened when NYCHA’s Robert Fulton Houses were first completed in 1965 and has not been substantially upgraded or renovated since. This important and exciting project will restore a critical anchor to the Chelsea neighborhood. Not only will it provide seniors with social services, education programs, daily meals and physical and recreational activities, it will offer the community a modern, inviting space for meetings and celebrations, youth activities and the potential for new and innovative programs of all kinds.

The renovation includes:

  • A wider, easier to navigate entrance
  • A renovated auditorium with improved sound and lighting
  • Upgraded and ADA-Compliant bathrooms throughout the center
  • A new, modernized kitchen, plus a separate "teaching" kitchen for activities
  • Renovated activity rooms
  • A new and improved gallery in the front of the center, facing the street, which will improve both the showcasing of artwork, and the streetscape
  • New wiring, floors, walls, heat, and AC
  • New staff offices and meeting spaces

“The Fulton Center is a pillar of the community and this renovation will make the physical building as great as the work that already happens inside,” said State Senator Brad Hoylman. “With state-of-the-art facilities and Hudson Guild’s exemplary programming, my constituents are getting the community space they have every right to expect. I’m grateful to Chair Olatoye and Hudson Guild’s Executive Director Ken Jockers for their dedication and leadership on this project.”

“This new space will give Hudson Guild the facilities it needs to serve the Chelsea community for many years to come. This renovation will transform this vital community asset into a beautiful new space for seniors, young people, and everyone in between,” said City Council Member Corey Johnson. “I want to thank Ken Jockers and the team at Hudson Guild for their perseverance and dedication to this community. I also want to thank NYCHA Chair and CEO Shola Olatoye and her team at NYCHA for working with my colleagues and I throughout this process and getting us to where we are today.”

The renovated center is slated to reopen in 2019. Funding for this renovation have been provided by, Congressman Jerry Nadler, State Senator Brad Hoylman, Assembly Member Dick Gottfried, Mayor Bill De Blasio, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, City Council Member Corey Johnson, the New York City Housing Authority and several generous individual donors who are committed to helping ensure a healthy, vibrant Chelsea community. 


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About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
NYCHA’s mission is to increase opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to social and community services. More than 400,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 326 public housing developments around the five boroughs, and another 235,000 receive subsidized rental assistance in private homes through the NYCHA-administered Section 8 Leased Housing Program. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/nycha and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/NYCHA and www.twitter.com/NYCHA.

About Hudson Guild
Hudson Guild’s mission is to create and sustain a strong, effective community that acknowledges and responds to the potential, achievements and interdependence of its diverse members. Rooted in and primarily focused on the Chelsea neighborhood, we seek to empower all individuals and families to achieve their highest potential, while maintaining a priority focus on those in economic need.
 
Founded in 1895, Hudson Guild currently provides services to more than 14,000 people each year in six main programmatic areas: Adult Services, Early Childhood Education, Arts, Children and Youth Services, Mental Health Services and Community Building. Program participants come from a variety of cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
 
For more information visitwww.hudsonguild.org and follow them onFacebook andTwitter.