By Bill Parry
A non-profit organization that helps homeless people get back on their feet while cleaning several business corridors in Queens has moved its headquarters to Long Island City from SoHo in Manhattan.
The Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless, known as ACE, moved closer to the neighborhoods where it deploys street cleaners such as Woodside, Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst and Forest Hills — after moving to a bigger space at 30-30 Northern Blvd. last week. City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week.
“The opening of ACE’s Center for Workforce Development in Long Island City, Queens, means greater access to life-changing job-skills training for men and women who are homeless,” ACE Executive Director James Martin said. “Because of partners like Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, the men and women of ACE are able to gain supported work experience on sanitation teams that keep our Queens neighborhoods clean and beautiful for residents, businesses and visitors alike. We are proud to now call Queens home and look forward to giving back to this great community.”
Van Bramer’s office has allocated $120,000 each year to ACE to provide street-cleaning services throughout western Queens. ACE helps homeless men and women achieve economic independence through job training, work experience and a life-long support network.
“Beyond keeping our streets clean throughout western Queens, ACE provides an essential public service by offering job training and work opportunities to homeless men and women throughout our city,” Van Bramer said. “I am proud to support ACE’s good work with funds from my office and am thrilled that they have chosen Long Island City to house their new Center for Workforce Development that will help battle homelessness and give dignity and hope to so many for years to come.”
The non-profit was based in SoHo where it began in the summer of 1992. Its new center is more than 7,000 square feet, 25 percent larger then its old home, and features two classrooms for training and comprehensive education curriculum; a computer lab with 20 stations; a dedicated kitchen and common space to relax or work on resumes between classes, training and work.
The center is located in the Apple Building, a Queens Plaza South building that was long underutilized before being redeveloped into a modern, green office and retail complex by Alma Realty. Charles H. Greenthal Property Sales, Inc., a family-run New York City-based property owner and real estate developer, has signed a 12-year lease and is expected to bring 105 jobs to the neighborhood.
“We are proud to welcome Greenthal Property Sales to this vibrant and growing Long Island City community,” Alma commercial property manager Peter Kosteat said. “The location is perfect for mass transit accessibility. The building’s lighting and floor sizes fit the tenants needs and the amenities, including an exclusive and free fitness center, bike racks, and a roof deck, are second-to-none. Those who work in this new LEED-certified building will help bring a big boost to the local economy and further the revival of Long Island City as one of our city’s up-and-coming residential and commercial neighborhoods.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
