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The UJA-Federation of New York held a ribbon cutting on Wednesday for a $12.5 million, 13,000 square-foot “social service hub,” which is slated to open to the public in south Brooklyn on Dec. 2.
The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty will operate the facility, called the Brooklyn Hub, which the UJA said will include “a state-of-the-art food pantry with online ordering, access to government benefits and emergency cash assistance, legal and financial counseling services, professional support for vulnerable populations and career access programs.”
Alex Roth-Kahn, managing director of the caring department at UJA, told JNS during a tour of the building on Thursday that the center is part of the Federation’s anti-poverty efforts in the neighborhood, which she said has the highest rates of Jewish poverty in New York City. (Per a 2023 UJA community study, 37% of Jewish households in south Brooklyn live near or below the poverty line.)
“We wanted to move from transactional service delivery to really enable people through walking through our doors to experience a sense of empowerment and self choice that would guide them in their own ability to move from crisis to stability,” she told JNS.
“We knew that the buildings where we deliver services, the quality of the staff and the interconnectedness of multiple services on site was key to the design,” she said.
Khan told JNS that the building was designed intentionally to provide privacy and dignity to future clients.
“Every part of the Brooklyn Hub, from the physical design to the people who are providing services, was thought through very diligently,” she said. “The rooms are frosted, so that there is privacy. There is outdoor space, so that people who are coming with kids have the ability to let their kids run around while they’re sitting on a bench with a counselor or a legal advocate.”
“We wanted people as soon as they walk into the space to see themselves as their future self and imagine that their vulnerability is in the past,” she added.
The center is located between the neighborhoods of Borough Park and Bensonhurst and aims to service the Haredi and Russian-Jewish communities.
Jeffrey Yoskowitz, director of strategic initiatives for the Met Council’s food program, told JNS that the Hub’s food pantry will use a specialized website (“market”) which people can use to select their food.
“There are so many opportunities for ‘market’ to really help this community,” he said. “This website offers visual choice, which I cannot stress enough is so important in the world of emergency food management, because it helps ensure that people are getting the foods that are right for them.”
“We believe this also helps increase dignity for the consumer, as it provides ease of access,” he added.
Yoskowitz told JNS that the pantry was designed to allow consumers to pick up their food orders anonymously.
“There are two different entry points to the pantry. We even have a pick-up window, so you don’t have to walk inside, which can be overwhelming,” he said. “It can be embarrassing and painful to have to seek help and support, and the window actually allows for more anonymity.”
The large room, with a walk-in refrigerator and extensive shelf space—which Yoskowitz described as “one of the nicest pantries you will ever see”—will attract more volunteer help, Yoskowitz anticipates.
“There are very few pantries with skylights like we have now, and in the emergency food space, the working environments can be really hard and stressful,” he told JNS. “By making it a better place to spend time and to work, our facility becomes more welcoming to volunteers, which is a real win.”
According to Roth-Kahn, of the UJA, the center was created to help the Jewish community, but it will be open to anyone seeking social services
Susan Zhuang, a member of the Brooklyn City Council who represents District 43, told JNS that her district will benefit from the new facility.
“This Hub, on the border of Borough Park and Bensonhurst, is a boon for our diverse community, with services provided in Yiddish, Hebrew, and Chinese,” she said. “I look forward to continuing working with both the UJA and Met Council on behalf of the Jewish community, as well as other members of our diverse Brooklyn community.”
Lester Chang, a member of the New York State Assembly who represents the 49th District, told JNS that he is excited about the center serving his community’s needs.
“This new Hub is a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility, and with this new location, it will broaden the outreach for social services to all those who require it,” he said.
