WILLIAMSBURG — A local nonprofit with deep ties to North Brooklyn is losing two of the lucrative contracts worth $861,166 it had with the city to run youth centers at the Cooper Park and Williamsburg Houses, to the dismay of residents who said they've grown accustomed to the organization.
Come July, two new organizations will run the youth centers — Coalition for Hispanic Family Services and Grand Street Settlement — will take over for St. Nicks Alliance, that's run programming there for the last several years.
"Now they're saying let's go with another agency that has no ties to the community," said Julia Foster, the tenant association president at the Cooper Park Houses. "St. Nick's was already connected with the community."
"They've had so many things pulled out from under them," said Foster, concerned about the kids she represents. "It's not stability for them."
Mark Zustovich, a spokesman for the Department of Youth and Community Development, which awarded the two contracts, said the department's decision to switch organizations could be related to "any number of things" but declined to specify what elements of the new organizations' proposals were stronger than St. Nick's.
"You win some, you lose some. That's the way it is," said Zustovich, adding that this year St. Nick's was awarded a new contract to run programs young adults and still has around $3 million in contracts with DYCD.
Grand Street Settlement beat out St Nick's Alliance and three other proposals for the $491,589 contract to run the Williamsburg Houses community center at 195 Graham Ave.
Coalition for Hispanic Families was the only other applicant besides St. Nick's for the $369,577 contract to run the Cooper Park Community Center at 76 Kingsland Ave, Zustovich said.
News that St. Nick's would no longer run the community center at Williamsburg Houses startled the tenant association president Gwendolyn Campbell.
"It was a mind blower, like what? St. Nicks?" said Campbell, who said she'd never heard any troubles with the programming they'd offered. "A lot parents are upset."
At a tenant association meeting next week, Campbell said she planned on organizing efforts to call the city to rethink their decision.
"That's all we can do. Stand together united," Campbell said. "Power is in numbers."
It's not yet clear whether the workers at the two centers will be able to keep their jobs.
“I love it here,” said one, reached at the Williamsburg Houses who declined to give her name. "I'm trying to send my resume to the new agency, I love working with teens."
A worker at Grand Street Settlement, who declined to give her name, said they hope to meet with the city and St. Nick's soon to work out whether or not current employees will be offered jobs and how to make a "seamless" transition between organizations.
She added that the organization is already working in the community and is the service provider at the Lyon's Community School down the street from the Williamsburg Community Center.
Coalition for Hispanic Family Services didn't respond immediately to a request for comment.
Lori Ann Doyon, a spokeswoman at St. Nicks Alliance declined to comment.
