New Facility, slated for completion in 2020, will be first permanent home of its kind in NYC for immigrants and working-class people of color

New York, NY (February 6th, 2019) —  On Thursday, Make the Road New York (MRNY) will break ground on the organization’s landmark new community center—the first permanent home of its kind for immigrant New Yorkers. The new facility will stand as a beacon of hope signifying the dignity and worth of every immigrant, and an unequivocal statement that immigrants and working-class people of color are here to stay and stronger than ever.

In the face an anti-immigrant administration, MRNY is building this new, permanent home in immigrant Queens—a place of community, dignity, strength, and safety. This new center will be a true reflection of this remarkably diverse and resilient community and will give the organization the space and resources to increase its impact and win more victories for current and future generations.

From this new site, MRNY will continue to step up its work every day to ensure the safety and well-being of the state’s immigrants and working-class people of color, whose basic civil liberties are under attack by the current administration.

WHAT: Groundbreaking of New Make the Road NY Community Center

WHEN: Thursday, February 7th, 2019, 11:45AM

WHERE: 104-19 Roosevelt Avenue, Queens, New York

WHO: Make the Road New York, elected officials, partners, and allies.

PROJECT DETAILS: Located across the street from Corona Plaza and opening in 2020, the center will be the result of the generous support of the New York City Council, Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, critical funding provided through federal New Markets Tax Credits and the support of individual donors to MRNY’s Here to Stay campaign.

The 24,000 square foot, 3-story steel and masonry building on a concrete foundation will include an expanded number of private office spaces, multiple classrooms, a community gathering area, flexible education space, generous outdoor space, a commercial kitchen and shared dining area, and green features such as natural ventilation, non-toxic finishes, low flow fixtures and on-site rainwater collection.

The organization’s values will ring through every aspect of the space, with all voices heard, making clear what transparency and democracy in action look like. A welcoming, vibrant, and safe space – it will expand the sense of home which is vital to MRNY members, clients, and their families.

The new Make the Road Center will:

• More than double MRNY’s space for programs and services for immigrants and working-class communities of color;
• Enable large and diverse groups to gather in one space and build collective action to advocate for fair services and policies in New York and beyond; and
• Stand as a visible, statewide beacon of hope and power.