St. Nicholas Houses

Manhattan

NeighborhoodStat

A team of residents from St. Nicholas Houses has been meeting with neighbors, city agencies, and community-based organizations to prioritize the community safety issues most important to their development. These teams are at the heart of NeighborhoodStat (or “NStat”). The St. Nicholas NStat team meets regularly, and has been trained in surveying their community and generating solutions with concrete implementation plans. Through this process, the NStat team has focused on increasing engagement and improving communication with the young residents of St. Nicholas. They piloted a youth coding program held in the Resident Association computer room, in which participants receive technological skills, training in entrepreneurship and leadership, educational support, and more. The team has also hosted a series of pop-up events in underutilized space to encourage community unity.

The St. Nicholas Nstat Team led a participatory budgeting process through Local NeighborhoodStat in which residents were invited to submit their own ideas to strengthen safety and build community through built environment projects and/or social programming.

MAP Agency Partners

Since its launch in 2014, MAP agency partners have focused their programming to meet a variety of needs, ranging from support of seniors and kinship caregivers, mentorship of young adults, family-friendly programming of playgrounds, safe spaces for teens, assistance with public benefits, youth employment, and more.

Participate

The St. Nicholas Nstat Team is currently building a digital network to stay connected to one another during this time and to develop platforms to reimagine digital public space, co-create safety responses, support community building, and convene city agencies to leverage resources and collaboratively solve local problems. To learn about selected projects, or to participate in St. Nicholas Houses ongoing campaign, contact your MAP Engagement Coordinator Mercy Badmos at badmosm@courtinnovation.org or 347-721-8065.

Maintenance

The St. Nicholas grounds are in need of improved maintenance and sanitation and residents express frustration over outstanding work orders for repairs. The NStat team has developed a strategy for addressing maintenance concerns, including streamlining the process for submitting work orders and improving communication with NYCHA, enhancing signage to encourage proper garbage disposal, and engaging residents in community stewardship and beautification projects.

Youth Development

St. Nicholas youth face several barriers to achieving their goals, including a lack of educational and economic resources, involvement in crime or drug use, and behavioral and mental health issues. There is a need to support young residents and their families with holistic programming, focusing on assisting out of school, out of work youth with resources to build their personal and professional capacity.

Employment

Many St. Nicholas residents struggle to find and maintain work and are still living well below the New York City poverty line. There is a need to connect residents to existing employment programming within the neighborhood and to assist them in meeting all necessary requirements, as well as to build out additional pathways to educational and vocational opportunities.

Maintenance

Residents of Saint Nicholas Houses report various maintenance concerns throughout the campus. Residents stated that the Saint Nicholas Playground is poorly maintained, which may partially explain the prevalence of open air drug use that occurs there.

MAP Programs

Please note: In response to the COVID-19 emergency, some programs have been modified. For more information about modified program activities and availability, please click here

  • Human Resources Administration (HRA) Outreach Specialist is based at St. Nicholas Houses on [date forthcoming]! The HRA Outreach Specialist can help with benefits navigation, SNAP, Cash, and Emergency Assistance for rent arrears. HRA also holds pop-up events in St. Nicholas to make sure as many people have access to public benefits support as possible.
  • Department for the Aging (DFTA) Community Advocate is based at St. Nicholas on Thursdays. The DFTA Community Advocate offers Parenting a Second Time Around groups, support groups and individual counseling for seniors and kinship caregivers, intergenerational activities, and more.
  • Conflict Mediation through the New York City Peace Institute offers free conflict mediation for pairs or groups. They also have different training opportunities if you are interested in learning mediation skills.
  • Next STEPS Mentoring for Youth through the Harlem Commonwealth Council offers group mentorship for young people between the ages of 16-24 who may have experienced conflict and trauma. During group sessions, young people learn skills and build relationships with each other over hot meals.
  • Harlem Children’s Zone Community Center offers free and engaging programming to St. Nicholas youth and teens. The community center is located at 245 W 129th Street.
  • Green Jobs Training through Green City Force (GCF), an Americorps service-year program that trains young NYCHA residents (18-24 years of age) in clean energy and urban agriculture, and pays a monthly stipend and metrocard to Corps Members for their service.
  • Shape Up NYC through the Department of Parks and Recreation offers free, drop-in fitness classes in or near MAP developments. These classes don’t require any advanced registration or fee, and are conveniently located for MAP residents to engage with each other and enjoy low-barrier fitness activities.

Contacts