New York Mets Legend Keith Hernandez Congratulates Queens Community House

Keith Hernandez, one of the greatest New York Mets players of all-time, congratulates Queens Community House for purchasing the Forest Hills Community Center, the organization’s initial program site and home to its administrative headquarters!

When it opened in its doors in 1976, the Center hosted three small programs. Just prior to the pandemic, more than 500 neighbors attended the Center on a typical day, and more than 4600 people passed through its doors each year. The site is home to a senior center, after-school program, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, youth leadership programming, a day program for frail and memory-impaired older adults, and an evening teen center.

The need for larger and upgraded space has coincided with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to purchase this site. In 2017, negotiations between the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which owned the housing project, and Forest Hills Coop tenant leadership led to the tenants assuming ownership of the property. This, in turn, created an opportunity for QCH to purchase the Center from the tenants, which, after years of technical complications, occurred on December 29, 2020.