Hudson Guild
Hudson Guild is a community-based social services organization rooted in and primarily focused in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1895 by Dr. John Lovejoy Elliott as a settlement house, with the intention of helping to alleviate the problems of the immigrant community of Chelsea's industrial area. The Guild continues to provide a variety of programs and services, including after-school care, professional counseling, and community arts programs to the neighborhood.[1]
History
Now celebrating its 125th anniversary, Hudson Guild was founded as a settlement house to serve the needs of the growing immigrant population in the then industrial neighborhood of Chelsea. Some of our earlier innovations include:
Opening one of the first free kindergartens in New York City in 1897
Creating Chelsea Park, the first free recreational space in the area in 1907
Opening the first Summer Play School in the City in 1917
Founding the Elliott Neighbors Club for Senior Citizens in 1947
Opening one of the City’s first community mental health clinics in 1948
Advocating for anti-poverty programs in 1966, including Neighborhood Youth Corps, VISTA and Head Start
Today Hudson Guild is an anchor institution in a vibrant multicultural community, which has expanded to 17 service locations in Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, and Lincoln Square. Our mission is to create and sustain a strong, effective community that acknowledges and responds to the potential, achievements, and interdependence of its diverse members. Rooted in and primarily focused on the Chelsea neighborhood, we seek to empower all individuals and families to achieve their highest potential, while maintaining a priority focus on those in economic need.
Hudson Guild Leadership
Executive Director-Ken Jockers
Deputy Executive Director-LeeAnn Scaduto
Deputy Executive Director-Miguel Pedraza-Cumba
Deputy Executive Director for Development & External Relations-Jackelyn Garcia
Programs
Hudson Guild offers six dynamic programs to 14,000 people annually. These include:
Arts Programs-Hudson Guild provides opportunities for everyone in our community to explore their interests in performing and visual arts, both as active participants and new audience members.
Adult Services-Hudson Guild’s Adult Services program helps older adults age “55 & better” live in independence and with dignity as contributing members of the community.
Community Building-Hudson Guild serves a primary role in making the Chelsea neighborhood a place where people come together to help others and themselves through education, skills-building, and joint action.
Early Childhood Education-Our nurturing environment fosters independence in children, promoting the development of school readiness and social-emotional skills.
Mental Health-Hudson Guild provides a broad array of mental health prevention and intervention services, in our own facilities and out in the community.
Youth Development & Education-Young people, ages 5-24, attend Hudson Guild for academic achievement, life skills development, college and career training, employment experience, recreation, and social/emotional support.
Community Partnerships
Hudson Guild is a member of the United Neighborhood Houses, a coalition of neighborhood-based, multi-service settlement houses. However, Hudson Guild is the only organization of its kind serving the residents of Chelsea, particularly the residents of the Elliott-Chelsea and Robert Fulton public housing developments.
Among the important relationships the Guild has built over the years to complement its own programs are partnerships with Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, Beth Israel Senior Health Center, and the Ryan/Chelsea-Clinton Community Health Center. Hudson Guild Early Childhood Education, Jamestown, and Youth Development & Education programs have strong, collaborative relationships with local elementary, middle, and high schools from which most of the Guild’s youth participants come, including P.S. 33, P.S. 11, P.S.191, Guardian Angel Elementary School, and the Lab School. We also have relationships with organizations like New York Cares that provide volunteers to tutor participants in the afterschool programs as well as arts-related organizations that provide enrichment opportunities. Arts events at Hudson Guild include collaborations with the Rubin Museum, Whitney Museum, El Museo del Barrio, Matthew Westerby Dance Company, and More Art, Inc. Hudson Guild also maintains a strong partnership with Friends of the High Line.
Hudson Guild has a programmatic partnership with Avenues: The World School, including a “language buddies” program in which middle school language-immersion students from Avenues are developing interactive language activities with Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking seniors at the Neighborhood Senior Center.