New York Junior League Announces Settlement Housing Fund and SCAN-Harbor as 2023-2024 Community I

NEW YORK - Sept. 25, 2023 - PRLog -- The New York Junior League's (NYJL) Community Improvement Project (CIP) has selected Settlement Housing Fund and SCAN-Harbor as its 2023–2024 community partners. The NYJL's hands-on restorations of these vital community spaces will create a welcoming environment for single parent families at Settlement Housing Fund who have previously experienced homelessness and are working towards long-term housing security and enable SCAN-Harbor to expand its programming for nursery school students in one of New York City's most underserved communities.

As one of the NYJL's largest community programs, CIP has partnered with organizations across the City since 2012 to provide community space renovations.  CIP will provide a trained team of NYJL volunteers to lead and carry out the renovations, contributing hundreds of hours of work, and an investment of more than $70,000 in supplies and in-kind services to maximize impact.

"The NYJL is proud to work with community partners addressing two of the biggest issues facing New Yorkers today — homelessness and childhood literacy," said NYJL President Serra Eken. "Through these large-scale renovations of community spaces, the Community Improvement Project will support our partners in expanding critical programming and improving lives."

Settlement Housing Fund provides affordable housing and supportive services for lower income families, including a substantial number who have experienced homelessness. CIP plans to renovate Settlement Housing Fund's Semiperm Residence on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, which serves approximately 50 single parents and their children who have formerly experienced homelessness. CIP's renovation of the building's community room and administrative office will enable Semiperm to increase programming and host a dignified, self-affirming space for clients to meet with case workers. Amidst New York City's current housing and homelessness crises, Settlement Housing Funds' work providing stable housing and programming is more important than ever — allowing families to access critical pathways to long-term affordable housing, education, employment, and wellness.

SCAN-Harbor's Eisman Nursery at New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)'s Holmes Towers, located in Yorkville, provides a learning space for approximately 60 children from ages 2-5 years old. CIP will transform an underutilized room currently used for storage into a children's library and gathering space for students and staff. The new library and gathering space will be used for increased programming, helping students achieve age-appropriate literacy early in their development. Research has shown that the first five years of life are critical for a child's brain development, with early childhood literacy a critical component of future success in school and in life, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-de...).