Selfhelp Community Services (hereinafter referred to as Selfhelp) announced on September 16 that former New York City Council Member Peter Koo has joined its board of directors, increasing the number of Chinese directors in the organization to three. Koo’s participation will further strengthen the connection between Selfhelp and the Chinese community, as well as enhance services for the Chinese population.
During his visit on that day, Koo went to the Benjamin Rosenthal-Prince St senior center on Kissena Boulevard in Flushing, where he met with the existing two Chinese directors of Selfhelp, Tam Ying Kam and Law Wai Chung, to learn about the services provided to seniors, including meals, social work, welfare applications, home care, and housing.
This year marks Selfhelp’s 90th anniversary. The organization currently serves around 25,000 people annually, with over 8,000 of them being Asian, primarily low-income Chinese immigrant seniors.
Lois Deutsch, Executive Director of the Selfhelp Foundation, highlighted the importance of board members like Koo who are familiar with the needs of the Chinese community and can provide frontline input. She expressed her delight at his joining the board.
Koo served as a Council Member in Flushing for 12 years (2009-2021) and also held the position of Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Department of Community Services before retiring. He mentioned that Selfhelp originally catered to Holocaust survivors, but its services have now expanded to different ethnicities and communities. He believes that the well-developed service model is worth emulating by the Chinese community, hoping that such senior centers and elderly apartment buildings can be promoted and replicated.
Koo has been collaborating with Selfhelp for over 20 years, even assisting in establishing the Chinese Advisory Council within Selfhelp. Currently led by Tam Ying Kam, the council primarily helps Selfhelp understand the actual needs of Chinese seniors and seeks to find and integrate relevant community resources.
Director Deutsch further explained that the senior center on Kissena Boulevard currently has approximately 3,000 members, providing around 300 to 400 meals per day, with the majority of recipients being Chinese. The center particularly focuses on providing meals that cater to Chinese tastes and offers corresponding services based on language and cultural backgrounds.
Katie Foley, Vice President of Development at Selfhelp, mentioned that the senior center also has social workers who assist seniors in need to find medical care, financial aid, home care, citizenship counseling, and more. Foley stated, “Selfhelp has established a comprehensive service system, hoping that as people age and require more assistance, they can still live with dignity in their own homes.”
In addition to the senior center, Selfhelp also provides affordable housing. Foley explained that above the senior center building, there are elderly apartments. Selfhelp has a total of six affordable apartment buildings near the senior center and a total of 19 related residences. One of Selfhelp’s principles is to enable seniors to live in familiar communities, so housing, meals, social work, and welfare services are not separate but form a coordinated service system.
During the reporter’s visit to the elderly apartments, it was noted that the interiors were bright, clean, well-lit, and had expansive views. Mr. Li, who resides in a one-bedroom unit, mentioned that the monthly rent is over $1,100 and that he waited in line for 8 years to secure it.
Another female resident in a one-bedroom unit pays just over $500 in actual monthly rent. She successfully applied for federal Section 8 housing assistance, with the government subsidizing the rent.
Selfhelp is currently planning new affordable housing projects behind the senior center’s parking lot. It is understood that the new elderly apartments will consist of over 130 units, with construction work already underway.
For those interested in applying for Selfhelp elderly apartments, more information can be found at: https://selfhelp.net