Haitian nonprofit bringing $12 million community center to Brooklyn

BROOKLYN – A community center being called the “Hub of Hope” is coming to Central Brooklyn, after a non-profit organization purchased a building to serve the heavily Haitian neighborhood. 

Last week, Life of Hope installed a “Coming Soon” sign on the building at 4123 Avenue D after closing on the property in June. Crews are slated to start building out the $12 million center in September for a targeted grand opening in summer 2025, the group’s leader said.

“For the first time in 18 years, I don’t have to worry about renewing a lease or where we’re going to be next month,” Porez Luxama, executive director of Life of Hope, told The Haitian Times on Monday. “You can see the pride already in the community with the sign [put up] last week. 

“And it’s not about having the community center, but about the community development to come,” he said. “It’s really a transformation happening.”

The nonprofit is calling the site the “Hub of Hope” to match its vision of collective empowerment –, Luxama said. When completed, the center will continue to service families with essentials such as English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, literacy and immigration help and to organize cultural events. In addition, Luxama said, it will focus more on community empowerment and development by providing support such as helping small business owners purchase properties and assisting homeowners dealing with big developers.

Community center long desired  

New York City is home to more than 116,750 Haitians based on the 2020 census, with 71,400 in Brooklyn, according to the Planning Department. Life of Hope services about 65,000 families with its staff of 20 and nearly 100 programs, including the popular maternal health project that reaches women across the region and annual parade. However, it has long wanted to do more to make the Haitian community become more vibrant.

Meanwhile, over the years, many Haitians have long looked at the Jewish community’s self-sufficiency tied to owning its own properties and wondered why Haitians do not replicate a similar approach. Others have lamented that New York is overdue for a center. Often, they pointed to Haitians in South Florida having the Little Haiti Cultural Center as a milestone, though that now faces funding and leadership challenges.  

Luxama said he looked at the Catholic Church’s model of starting small, then growing and buying the property for inspiration. He sees such a capital project as a key to building equity across the Haitian diaspora to get the community away from renting. That, he said, too often leaves non-profits at the mercy of landlords, who deplete a group’s funds when they inevitably raise rents. Worse, he said, renting increases uncertainty and stress among leaders and community members alike – causing both to be less effective. 

“Without having a permanent home, no organization can grow horizontally or vertically,” Luxama said. “That [buying your own property] will create stability for your community. When people see that, they’ll see that you’re here to stay.”

Public officials, lender help finance project 

To fund the project, Life of Hope took out a $3.5 million bridge loan from the Foundation for Philanthropic Funds to help purchase the building. Over the past several years, it has also raised commitments from various government officials, who earmarked more than $12 million needed to complete the purchase, renovations and buildout.

Among those providing funds are Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, and New York City Council Members Rita Joseph and Mercedes Narcisse, according to the organization’s announcement. 

“I was proud to deliver $1.5 million in federal funds to Life of Hope in Brooklyn for the purchase of a building that will be the new, permanent center for their vital community services, including employment services and health counseling,” Schumer said in the announcement. “Life of Hope will finally have a hub for their quality, culturally competent care and support services for underserved New Yorkers in Flatbush and beyond.”

As the project gets underway, many indeed will be watching to see how Life of Hope might turn the center into an agent of community empowerment, as it promises.

“That’s a model for other leaders in our community to follow,” Dr. Fanell Alerte, a longtime physician and entrepreneur, said. “This is something real, tangible. 

“You can’t call a community your own if you’re not educating the community, providing services and creating jobs and opportunity for the community,” he added. “This is a new model of leadership that I hope the new generation should emulate and even to surpass.” 

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