Uptown Needs New Community Center, Not More Bars, Petition Says

UPTOWN, MANHATTAN — If there's anything nonprofit founder Daniel Jimenez has noticed working with community centers and shelters in Washington Heights and Inwood over the last three years, it's that there aren't nearly enough of them.

"We have a lot of underserved families," Jimenez, who co-founded the organization Inhisname United in 2016, said. "We went into local community center and always saw that it was compact — it wasn't sizable to have everyone in there."

The number and size of places where the community could gather stayed stagnant, even as other development, like the number of bars or nightclubs, skyrocketed in the two Uptown neighborhoods, Jimenez said.

That's when he and Inhisname co-founder Henry Rodriguez decided they should do something.

The organization has started pursuing plans to build a community center for Washington Heights and Inwood that is big enough for seniors, adults and children.

A petition aimed at garnering support for the idea has already gained about 180 signatures.

"We need to keep children off the streets by giving them something to do," the petition reads. "We are certain that if we keep everyone engaged this will lower crime in our community, as well as provide jobs and stabilize our communities' economic growth."

Inhisname contends that the existing community centers in the neighborhoods either aren't big enough, don't have programs available for all ages or cost money so those who need them can't afford it.

Their community center, Jimenez said, would include a variety of programs to fill this void, including cooking classes, parenting classes, LGBT programming, teen mom services, domestic violence prevention and others.

The organization hasn't yet figured out where the center will be, but says there are enough empty lots in the two neighborhoods that they hope to find a space big enough where they can build it.

The petition — which they have been sharing on social media and plan to canvass the neighborhood about — is the first step so they can show potential funders that there is support for the idea. The petition is addressed to various elected officials they hope to work with for funding.

"It’s been great just seeing everyone is sharing it," Jimenez said. "People are noticing there is a need for it and we’re very happy...to see if our elected officials can see that."