In her nearly three decades working in the housekeeping department, Hilda Figueroa has been known to light up any room she walks into at Saratoga Family Residence in Jamaica, Queens. It’s a quality that other staff at Saratoga have come to cherish, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, when many struggled to
Earlier this month, the creativity of Saratoga Family Residence’s afterschool students took center stage at the Worldwide Plays Festival in Bryant Park. The festival was produced by Writopia, a non-profit that offers creative writing workshops for children ages 2-18. Writopia has been collaborating with HFH since 2013, primarily providing supplemental afterschool
“Life changed for me when I started camp.” For Camp Administrator Tyrone Squire, camp has “always been in his heart.” Growing up in Fullerton, CA, he spent his summers at a Boy Scout camp off the coast of California. Since starting with HFH in 2015, Tyrone has translated his positive camp
Afterschool students at Saratoga Family Residence tested out the trade of plumbing with a recent workshop, hosted by Tools & Tiaras, that portrayed how water filtration systems operate. Students learned the significance of the field of plumbing and the job security that can be gained by entering the trade. The
Charima Thompson began her professional journey at HFH working at Prospect Family Residence in the safety department. After five years in safety—starting as a Safety Aide and then receiving a promotion to Safety Supervisor—she decided to chase her aspirations and apply to a position as a Housing Specialist at HFH’s newest
Prospect Early Childhood Education students have been twirling through time as Jazz Explorers diving into the history of Jazz and Swing. From interactive history and music lessons to designing outfits to wear to the "dance," the RiMarcable Music For Arts & Education team brings
For nearly 15 years, Carlos Santos has been working his way up from part-time clerk to accounting manager at HFH. Yet, for much of his childhood, he had his sights laser-focused on a very different career path. “I was on track to be a musician,” said Santos, who attended a professional
Allie’s Place Center for Culinary Education & Employment just introduced a 3-day Barista training program where students gain real world experience at the conclusion of the course by operating a live pop-up coffee shop on site: Allie’s Coffee Spot. Throughout the course, students learn
HFH Summer Camps 2022 is on. View the the videos in English and Spanish, and see more details below to learn more. Since 1989, HFH Summer Camps have helped over 15,000 campers experience a genuine sleepaway camp experience by accessing the serene nature of Harriman State Park. HFH campers are representative of over 14,000 children who live
The policy team’s latest snapshot examines the experience of parents at HFH shelters whose children returned to in-person schooling in the fall of 2021 after a year+ of remote or blended learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning to school buildings brought benefits to learning, but also created anxieties around COVID-19 infection and challenges
